#harry is a much better character than people say he is

[micer2012]

a reflection on MatPat's plagiarism

Hello, my name is Della, or micer2012, and 2 years ago Game Theory plagiarized three Tumblr posts of mine, making a video that now holds almost 6 million views.

My posts explaining his plagiarism made their rounds on Reddit, Tumblr and Twitter, but despite the Hermits and Pooka commenting on it (generally in support of me or saying they don’t know enough details about the situation to say either way), MatPat and his team have never owned up to anything, and no mention of my name is present on the video. The one Reddit post they made denying it (which was made before my detailed takedown, which they have never responded to (though the mods on the r/GameTheorists Reddit were kind and made sure it stayed up)) didn’t even mention me by name, just referring to me as “a tumblr user”. (Though one of the screenshotted comments in the body of the post does say my name)

This experience was baffling, but it’s overall had a positive impact on my life. r/Hermitcraft gave me a Golden Apple Award (post of the year, 2021). My inbox was filled with excited fans, wanting to ask me questions or pose their own theories, far more than the hate I got. (Though the hate I got from Game Theory fans was VERY funny. I wondered why none of them gave me shit about saying “MatPat misgendered Evil Xisuma” before realizing none of them read that far into the post.)

And getting on a more personal, and much more important note, I met most of my current online friends through this, including my partner. It helped me grow closer with my irl friends as well and gave me an entertaining story that I tell whenever I have the chance. It was one of the first things in my life that really made me feel like my talents, my autistic hyperfocusing and analyzing of things I love, could be valuable. Useful. Exploitable. It blew my mind that MatPat thought an autistic kid’s ramblings about a Minecraft Youtube joke character were good enough to steal. To put an audible sponsorship on. To get 6 million views off of.

And that’s why I’m writing this post, this update years later. As you might’ve been able to guess, Hbomberguy’s Youtube video on plagiarism reopened this wound. It was really hard for me to sit through, it took days of pausing and taking breaks, because I had experienced everything he was talking about firsthand. 

In my 10 page long takedown post, I wrote about how his rewording of my sentences made him say things that were incorrect, just like Filip did. The content farm production style that made big companies like Cinemassacre take one creator (AVGN/MatPat) and turn him and his content into a brand, a voice that reads out scripts by other people with other opinions/theories, is a history shared with Game Theory. What really hit me was Harris talking about how big creators only do this to people they think they can get away with doing it to. How they view their victims as lesser, as not deserving of their words, repackaging them as their own to give to an audience that can gain from hearing them, but deserves better than to have to listen to the original victim.

That’s the thing, I 100% think a video version of my theory to expose to a bigger community than “Evil Xisuma Fans on Tumblr” is a great idea!! Near the end of the video Harris talks about how video adaptations of things could be a great market, even an accessibility tool, and I completely feel that about my posts. I wrote them quickly assuming the reader was someone well versed on Evil Xisuma lore, after not even watching most of the CarnEvil series, and the diagrams I made to explain them are even less comprehensible. Harris makes a joke that I completely agree with, 

“I’m sure some of my videos would do very well if someone translated them into English.”

I don’t think I would’ve ever made my posts if I didn’t have autism, and a special fixation on Evil Xisuma and Hermitcraft. I made them because I felt the character was being done an injustice, and because I wanted to share with other superfans this theory that might explain it away. I do think that MatPat plagiarizing me was ableist. I used to wonder a lot if this would’ve happened if my posts were articulated better, if they had been peer reviewed, if the posts themselves had been spread to a wider audience before MatPat made his video. At one point when the discourse was fresh (before I had the time to write out my 10 page rebuttal), a bigger YouTuber (100k subs at the time) messaged me and started talking on Discord, interested in possibly making a video on the discourse, but I think my style of typing and general enthusiasm drove him away. You can tell by a single look at my blog (or my original 3 posts!) that I don’t usually type like this. This post you’re reading now has been peer reviewed and edited, and took me hours to format correctly. That video could’ve been huge, the entire outcome of this MatPat situation would probably be much different.

I also used to stress a lot about “being the one who ruined Evil Xisuma’s story”. If you didn’t know, to me S8 Evil Xisuma’s story got wrapped up pretty quickly and unsatisfying (in my personal autistic opinion). (though this might’ve been due to s8 being experimental and ending early with moon big) There was no real culmination of the plot points and arcs going on, and I don’t want to blame myself, but when Xisuma said on stream (when the MatPat thing was first going on) that he didn’t want to focus on the discourse or draw more attention to it, it makes a lot of sense to me that he just wanted to wrap it all up as quickly as possible. For a while I beat myself up about it, of ruining the story of this character I love, but it’s not my fault. If anyone’s, it’s MatPats, but I don’t think it’s useful to just blame someone else. That’s how the story ended up going, and that’s fine. This is Evil Xisuma we’re talking about, their inconsistent lore is what made them such an interesting character. And notably, Pooka made an animation with an awesome culmination of Jeff, the Dreamer, Evil Xisuma, and his own sona’s story, and it makes me so happy to watch. Whatever Pooka does is of course his own choice, but I’m glad he got to give this personal story his own ending (if it is an ending, and not just the start of a new chapter!). 

Typing this all out and getting it off my chest has made me feel a lot better. For a while I wanted to make my OWN video essay about Evil Xisuma’s lore and CarnEvil’s lore, actually going episode by episode to explain it instead of just assuming you knew as much about Evil Xisuma as I did. That idea is still not off the table, but MCYT isn’t something I’m that into right now. Maybe if something else comes out about Evil Xisuma I’ll get back on it, but for now I’m fine with letting that go. But I want to make other videos, share other theories and analysis… if I have the freetime I’d love to make YouTube videos, and if I don’t have the time I’ll continue posting to my tumblr and infodumping to my friends. Apparently my infodumping is valuable enough “content” to steal! Writing this out has made me feel a lot better though, I’m really glad I got it out.

If anyone ever wants to talk to me about the things I’m obsessed with, or reach out to me as a source in a bigger discussion about Game Theory or other channels, my inbox is more than welcome :] Thank you for reading! 

Sincerely, a tumblr user.

#exiavojtmmc #hermitcraft #matpat #gt #game theory #hc #mcyt #evil xisuma #hbomberguy #plagiarism #james somerton #jeff the minion #mine #micer2012 #hcs9

[saintsenara]

Thoughts on Ron and Hermione as a ship?

thank you very much for the ask, @thesilverstarling!

i’ll state my position straight away: book ron and hermione are the best of the canon couples.

they will have a long and extremely happy marriage made rich by great and stalwart love, lust, fun, and faithfulness, rather than held together by duty and couples’ therapy like so many readers and authors (including jkr, who seems to have decided to spend the years since the conclusion of the series failing to understand anything about her own characters) tend to think.

i will state another position straight away: lest i seem like i’m just a fan with blinkers on, i think this even though hermione is, by far, my least favourite member of the trio. if she were real i would detest her, and i dislike how she is treated by the narrative as always justified in her negative characteristics. i like fanon hermione - perfect and preternaturally good - even less.

as a result, i think that it’s ridiculous that jkr has said that she thought ron needed to ‘become worthy’ of hermione. they belong together as equals - which is what they’re set up in the narrative as being from the off - and i hate seeing that undermined.

because ronald weasley? he’s an icon. and he doesn’t get anywhere near the respect he deserves in fandom.

there are multiple reasons for this - ron’s narrative purpose is to be the everyman sidekick, and so he is able to be less special than harry or hermione (the helper-figure); the amount of aristocracy wank in this fandom means that the weasleys’ ordinariness is less appealing to writers than making harry have twenty different lordships and call himself hadrian; the narrative interrogates ron’s flaws - especially his capacity for jealousy - much more intensively than it interrogates either hermione’s (cruel, inflexible, meddling) or harry’s (reckless, self-absorbed, judgemental) - but one i feel is particularly significant is that ron is such a british character that many of his traits are not understood as intended by non-british readers.

in particular - as is outlined in this excellent meta by @whinlatter - ron’s sense of humour isn’t indicative of immaturity or a lack of seriousness, but is, in fact, evidence that he’s the most emotionally aware of the trio.

ron is shown throughout the series to understand how both harry and hermione need to have their emotions approached - and i think there is no piece of writing which says this better than crocodile heart by @floreatcastellumposts:

That was what she liked most about Ron, she thought vaguely. He was very good at being suitably outraged on your behalf. For Harry, for her, for Neville. That sort of thing mattered, when you were hurt or embarrassed or wronged in some way. You needed to have someone else on your side, to be as emotional as you felt, maybe even more so, so that you might feel a bit more normal. It was very decent of him, and she was not sure he realised he did it.

ron’s inherent emotional awareness is an enormous source of comfort to other people. he does the work which isn’t flashy or special - he makes tea and tells jokes and is just there - but which is needed in healthy human relationships far more frequently than a willingness to fight to the death for the other person.

[as an aside, this normality - even though i think it is assumed rather than justified by the text - is also what ginny provides for harry. if you believe that hinny are a good couple but romione aren’t… i can’t help you.]

but let’s look at some specific reasons why ron and hermione belong together:

their communication styles mesh perfectly. ron is the only person hermione knows who feeds her love of being challenged and debated, and who is able to engage in this way of communicating without becoming irate when she refuses to back down. ron is good at picking his battles, but he’s also good at recognising that hermione’s tendency to argue isn’t intended to be confrontational a lot of the time - it’s just the way she works through feelings and problems. he’s far more easy-going about her tendency to nag, interrupt, try to provoke arguments, or speak condescendingly than he’s given credit for - and hermione evidently respects this, since when he does tell her not to push a situation (above all, when she’s trying to needle harry into talking about sirius), she listens to him.

that ron and hermione’s tendency to bicker is taken by fans to be a bad thing is because it’s something harry - from whose perspective the narrative is written - doesn’t understand. harry is extremely conflict-avoidant - he tends to take being pushed on views and opinions he has to be insulting; and he has a tendency to assume that he is right which is just as profound as hermione’s. he and ginny communicate not by debating, but by ginny having no time for his rigidity and refusing to indulge it - but ron and hermione bickering about everything is not a negative thing within their specific emotional dynamic.

[as another aside, this glaring chasm in communication styles is why harry and hermione would be a disaster as a couple.]

they each provide validation the other needs. it’s clear - reading between the lines - that hermione is a tremendously lonely person. the friendlessness of her initial few weeks at hogwarts seems to be a continuation of her experience as a child, and - outside of ron and harry - that friendlessness endures through her schooldays. i’m always struck, for example, by the fact that, when she falls out with ron in prisoner of azkaban, she has no-one else to spend time with, and that this is only avoided in half-blood prince because harry decides not to freeze her out. i don’t think her friendship with ginny is anywhere near as close as fanon seems to imply (ginny has no interest in being nagged either), nor do i think that she’s anywhere near as close to neville (not least because she is so condescending to him) as she’s often written to be.

and this loneliness seems to stretch beyond hogwarts. the absence of hermione’s parents’ from the narrative is - in a doylist sense - clearly just a device to maximise time with the trio all together, but the watsonian reading is that she doesn’t have a particularly good relationship with them. hermione’s obviously upper-middle-class background - the name! the skiing! the holidays in the south of france! - can be presumed, i think, to come with a series of expectations from her parents which she feels constantly that she’s not entirely meeting, particularly expectations attached to academic success.

[for example, the grangers - were she a muggle child - would undoubtedly have ambitions for her to attend an elite university and then go into a prestigious career. tertiary education of the type that they’re familiar with doesn’t seem to exist in the wizarding world - most careers seem to be taught by apprenticeship - and this, alongside all the other divides between the magical and muggle worlds which contribute to the distance between them, would be one very obvious area in which she felt the need to prove herself to them.]

ron, too, has quite a difficult relationship with his position in the family - voldemort’s locket is not wrong to point out that he seems to receive considerably less of his mother’s emotional attention than ginny or the rest of his brothers - and he too is constrained by expectations which he doesn’t know how to explain he has no interest in - above all, molly’s desire for her sons to achieve top grades and go into the ministry.

he also suffers while at hogwarts from being ‘harry potter’s best friend’, something which harry never appreciates. but hermione does. she recognises ron’s jealousy and never allows harry to minimise it (and she and ron are very much aligned on having no respect for harry’s saviour and martyr complexes). she appreciates ron’s strengths - above all his kindness and his sense of humour - and makes him feel as though he’s achieved things with them. and ron does the same for her; he is hugely observant when it comes to her, and he challenges and defends her.

the two of them clearly spend a lot of time together one-on-one while harry’s involved in his various shenanigans (including outside of school - hermione has often arrived at the burrow days or even weeks before harry, and they seem to write to each other frequently when apart). they do this within a relationship which is fundamentally equal. one issue with hinny is that, post-war, harry is going to have to get used to seeing ginny as a peer, rather than as someone he has to protect. but ron and hermione never have that issue - equality is baked into their relationship from the off.

because, to be quite frank, fandom overstates the role that jealousy plays in their relationship. it’s true that ron certainly doesn’t acquit himself brilliantly when it comes to hermione’s relationship with viktor krum (it’s because he’s bi and doesn’t know it yet), and a tendency to externalise his insecurity into trying to make others also feel insecure is one of his primary negative traits (hermione does this too, via her patented lofty voice when she’s trying to condescend to people). but this is often taken as the initial red flag for how the relationship would crash and burn, and ron’s toxic jealousy is often used in fan-fiction as the trigger for emotional and physical violence towards hermione which, frequently, seems to drive her into the arms of either draco malfoy or severus snape… who are, of course, the first people we think of when we hear the words ‘not prone to jealousy’...

but i think it’s important to point out several things in defence of ron’s jealousy over krum. firstly, hermione evidently regards his jealousy as ridiculous - she’s upset by it, yes, but her upset must be understood as being caused by the fact that she wanted him to ask her out. she doesn’t think he’s being possessive, she thinks he’s being stupid. secondly, hermione is equally as jealous over ron’s crush on fleur delacour and relationship with lavender brown. she behaves just as cruelly when it comes to lavender as ron does when it comes to krum - and the narrative only treats her actions as more sympathetic or justified both because harry dislikes lavender too, and because, by that point in the series, jkr has dispensed with any inclination to ever criticise her.

but, outside of this teenage pettiness, ron is never jealous of hermione over things which matter. he is never jealous of her intelligence or competence or ambition or success (indeed, he defends her constantly from attacks designed to undermine her in these areas). for someone who struggles with being overshadowed by harry, he is never upset at being overshadowed by her. he is clearly going to be happy to support her in any of the career ambitions she can be written as having post-war.

and, on this point, i think it’s worth interrogating why so many readers still seem to feel uncomfortable with the idea of ron and hermione having a dynamic where she is the more ‘powerful’ one. [it’s always a bit trite to say ‘but what if the genders were reversed?’, but actually that’s not irrelevant here]. if hermione ends up taking the ministry by storm and ron becomes a stay-at-home father or has a job which is just to pay the bills, what, precisely, is wrong with that? why, precisely, should hermione regard ron making that choice for himself as a negative thing? hermione so often seems to leave ron in fan-fiction because of a lack of ambition - something which seems to be particularly common in dramione - but, in canon, she is shown to not particularly care if ron and harry do the bare minimum when it comes to studying etc. she nags them to do their work so they don’t get in trouble. she doesn’t nag them to do it to the same standard that she would.

and, actually, i think that ron being less ambitious than hermione is something which is key to how well they work. because ron provides not only emotional support, but emotional clarity.

hermione is shown throughout canon to - just as harry does - have a tendency to become obsessive to the detriment of her own health. she is also often - as harry is - emotionally or intellectually inflexible, and finds it hard to move on when what she feels or believes is proven to be wrong. both she and harry are micro-thinkers, who lean towards knee-jerk assumptions and stubborn convictions (and, indeed, hermione has a remarkably hagrid-ish tendency towards blind loyalty).

ron is none of these things. ron is a big-picture thinker (it’s why he’s so good at chess). he’s a pragmatist. he’s the least righteous of the three. he understands that faith and loyalty are choices, and that sometimes these choices will lead to outcomes which are bad or hard. he is the one of the three most willing to own up to having made mistakes. he is the one least likely to act on gut instinct (and, therefore, the hardest to fool - i think it’s worth emphasising that he clocks that tom riddle is tricking harry immediately, the only one of the trio to do so). he understands that things are a marathon, not a sprint. he is the least obsessive.

and these traits contribute to aspects of his character which are underappreciated. ron worries about hermione making herself ill during exams, or when she is using the time-turner, and makes an effort to get her to set healthy boundaries and redirect her anxiety. ron stands on a broken leg in front of sirius or goes into the forest to fight aragog not out of righteousness, but out of choice. ron takes over the burden of preparing buckbeak’s defence when it is clear that hermione is approaching burnout. ron is completely right that harry hasn’t done any long-term planning for the horcrux hunt, and his anger does force harry to tighten up after he leaves the trio. ron has a clear head in the middle of battle. ron makes harry and hermione laugh. ron is unafraid of human emotion. ron arrests harry’s tendency to brood over the little things by looking at the bigger picture. ron will always come back.

ron is bringing his politician wife regular cups of tea and making sure she doesn’t work all night. he is helping his lawyer wife to feel less upset over losing one case by reminding her that she’s won ten others. he is noticing stress creeping in and whirling her off for a dirty weekend, or even just a takeaway on the sofa. he is teaching his daughter to be proud of her ambition and his son to treat women as equals and both of his children that all you can do when you fuck up is apologise and try to do better. he is making hermione smile on the worst days of her life. he is helping her strategise her long-term goals when she gets stuck on the short-term ones. he is telling her straight when she needs to get it together. he is seeing a misogynistic head of department call hermione a ‘silly little girl’ and choosing to tell him exactly what he thinks of that.

ron is the ultimate wife guy. hermione is a very, very lucky lady.

#asks answered #asenora's opinions on ships #romione #ron weasley #hermione granger #ron is a wife guy #also may i be clear #ron is evidently unbelievably hot #the text says he looks like bill #who is so fit that harry can barely see when in his company #hermione you lucky thing

[louloulemons-posts]

Old Bear Diner

Cook!Eddie Munson XFem!Waitress!Reader

Summary : Reader becomes a waitress at a diner where a cook named Eddie works.

Word Count : 5.8k

Warnings : Not proofread, rambly, swears, use of Y/N, original characters, petnames, cuteness, reader gets hurt, douchebag customer, parent loss, grumpy eddie, sunshine reader, fluff, idiots in love, i haven’t wrote a fic this long in a while.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Mom I’m home,” you spoke, as you locked the door behind you. Sliding your feet out of your shoes and hanging your jacket up, you found her.

Face lay on the table, pen in hand and eyes closed. Letters, notices, bills. Just a whole bunch of paperwork lay on the table, it’d been like this for a while. Since your dad got sick. Then he was gone.

“Mom,” you whispered, shaking her lightly. She groaned, body wriggling as she woke up, “Mom go to bed.”

“I’m awake.”

“I know, but go and rest now. I’ll put this away.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. “Yeah.”

“How was work?”

“It was fine, the kids were golden.”

“Good I’m glad. You’ve got dinner in the microwave.”

“Thank you. Now go get some rest,” you said, kissing her cheek. “You’re such a good girl. Goodnight honey.”

“Night mom.”

And that’s how life had been for the last 18 months of your life. Just you and your mom. You sighed, walking over to the table. Stacking up the papers and putting them away.

There wasn’t much mess, your mom had been working all day and you’d been out most of the night. She was a nurse, and you had about any job you could get.

After quickly eating your dinner you picked up a few pieces of washing, swilled your plate and went up to bed. You babysat for a couple people in the neighbourhood, and sure they were fine, but one of the little ones came down with something and was near inconsolable.

Your bed was like heaven, after taking off your jeans you didn’t even bother to swap into pyjamas, falling to sleep as soon as your head hit the pillow.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Morning mom,” you said, kissing her head as you walked passed. There was a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, along with a cup of coffee waiting for her. “Morning, where are you off too?”

“Oh I’m just about to go clean Mrs Harris’, her daughters out of town and she said she’d pay me good. Plus she’s a sweet woman so.” You mom sighed, taking a drink of her coffee.

“What did we say about taking more jobs?”

“Mom come on, it’s not a big deal. It’s just one time.”

“You said that about the babysitting and the store and the tutoring.”

“Mom-“

“You need to take care of yourself.”

“So do you. Do you have a shift today?”

“No.”

“Great, I’ll pick up some movies from Robbies work and then we can have a day together.”

“Honey,” she sighed.

“I gotta go mom, love you.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“You are an Angel,” Mrs Harris smiled as you placed a mug in front of her, taking one of your own in your hands. “Thank you for doing this for me, Anna had this holiday booked for months.”

You hummed taking a sip of the drink, “I bet the kids were excited.”

“You have no idea! Bouncing off the walls telling me all about it yesterday.”

“Well the beach is exciting.”

“It is, now how about you? How’s your mom?”

“We’re good, you know,” you shrugged.

“Hm, I do know. You remind me of myself and Anna when we lost Paul,” she smiled fondly at the thought of her husband.

“We’re just trying to learn how to do this all without him.”

“Of course. I found something for you actually,” she smiled, walking to her fridge. Pulling a piece of paper from under a magnet she passed it over.

“I saw it in the grocery store, thought it’d be better than you doing 20 different jobs a week. You could just stick to 2,” she joked. It was a slip for wanted workers at a diner. Waitressing staff.

“Thank you.”

“Of course Honey, now you get going. Enjoy your day with your mom,” she smiled, nodding you took the flyer with you. “Let me know if you need me to come and clean again.”

The woman chuckled, shaking her head waving goodbye as you headed to your car. You knew the diner, you drove past it going to and from jobs, you’d just never stopped by.

You’d have to pass it on the way to Family Video anyway, so there was no harm in asking.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It wasn’t too busy in the diner, there were people dotted around, some groups, some alone. Some eating, some not. It seemed like a great place to people watch, to see so many people from different places, with different lives.

Walking up to the counter you smiled at an older woman, crows feet by her eyes, flecks of grey through her dark hair, but her eyes shone, young and playful. “Hiya Honey what can I get for you?”

“Hi, I actually came to ask about the waitressing position, is it still available?”

“It certainly is, have you got any experience?”

“I’ve had a couple different jobs, I worked at a cafe during summer break. I’ve worked cleaning jobs, with kids, in retail.” The woman hummed, nodding, “Well the shifts would change, you’d have to do 4 or 5 a week.”

“I can do that.”

“You’d serve customers, do waitressing, help in the kitchen if needed, cleaning.”

“Of course.”

“Okay, if you leave your name and number we can call and talk about you having a test day and we’ll see how we go.”

“Thank sounds great.” She slid a writing pad and a pen across the counter to you, disappearing to refill someone’s coffee.

“Liz, order up,” you heard a male voice speak from the back.

Two plates of delicious looking food was placed on the window out to the front, but the chef themself wasn’t visible. The woman moved quickly, weaving around stools and booths, taking the plates to a couple at the far end of the diner.

You’d imagine that they’d all know each other forever, the way they spoke like old friends. The woman, Liz, made her way back over to you, taking the pen and pad back.

“We’ll give you a call,” she smiled.

“Thank you.” She nodded giving you a wink and you were on your way.

You could only hope you’d get this job, 4 or 5 shifts a week would be great, then you could have room for a couple of odd babysitting jobs and still keep the house clean for your mom. All you had to do was actually get it.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You dried your hands with a towel, leaving the dirty dishes to air dry before you put them away. Dinner was cooking on the stove, and your mom would soon be home.

The music of your radio hummed with static, the station hiding the silence of the house. That was until the loud sound of the phone ringing overpowered it.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Hi, is this Y/N Y/L/N?”

“Speaking.”

“Hi there honey, this is Liz from the Old Bear Diner. I’m just calling about the waitressing job.”

“Right I see.”

“Well the position is yours if you want it, we’ll get you trained up.”

“What about the test day?”

“Well Mr Miller, the owner of the cafe you worked at, came here and when I mentioned you he couldn’t stop telling me how great of a worker you are.”

“That’s very kind. When would I start?”

“Wednesday if that’s possible, you’d start at 9am and finish at 5pm.” Quickly looking at the calendar you didn’t have any babysitting gigs, so it’d be perfect.

“Of course.”

“Great, I’ll be seeing you Wednesday Honey.”

“See you then.”

You couldn’t help grinning as you hung the phone back on the hook, taking dinner off the stove. Your mom found you dancing to the music on the radio, plating up your food.

“Good day?” she smiled, as you began to eat. “Mhm, definitely. How was work?”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Liz had shown you all the basics, how to use the till, where everything was stored, along with giving you a dark apron that sat around you waist.

“So when we have food orders, you hang them up here. Eddie will call when they’re ready, write the table numbers on the ticket if that’s easier for you,” she smiled.

“Right, is Eddie the chef?”

“Mhm, the one and only. You can also have anything off the menu for lunch, so just let him know and he’ll make it. I’ll introduce you now.”

Following her into the kitchen it was a lot of stainless steel counters, ovens, grills and deep sinks. “Eddie, got someone for you to meet,” Liz spoke, catching the taller man attention.

Turning to face you, you took him in. Dark curls, pulled back to sit in a bun at base of his neck, he was tall, lean but muscular, with tattoos dotted around his arms. His own apron sat around his waist, freckles and beauty marks decorated his face like his own personal constellation.

And his eyes, they were beautiful, like melted chocolate, you could very easily get lost in them. “Eddie this is Y/N our new waitress.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said softly, trying not to stair at the gorgeous man in front of you.

“You too. You shown her the basics?” he asked Liz. “Course I have, so be nice,” she warned, wagging her finger at him. “Always am.”

The older woman snorted, “You take that back, your uncle didn’t raise a liar.” This made Eddie smirk, smile lines and faint dimples appearing.

“Well we’ve got customers to serve, come on Honey.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Working at the diner was strangely something you looked forward to, something you enjoyed. Your mom wasn’t over the moon about it, worrying that you’d work yourself to sickness.

You were okay, you’d do your shifts go home, help around the house, spend time with your mom and still had time to do your babysitting gig. It worked out quite well.

“Morning Honey,” Liz smiled as you pushed through the door, “Morning.” You headed to the back, hanging up your jacket and your bag, tying your apron around your waist.

You walked past the kitchen, “Morning Eddie,” you called as you went, receiving a grunt of acknowledgment in return. He seemed nice enough, grumpy, but nice and beautiful - but you wouldn’t tell him that.

The diner was a 24 hour one so customers were already dotted around, it was a weekday so it was a lot of people travelling through, especially truckers.

“These are for table 4,” Liz smiled, handing you 2 warm drinks, nodding you went on your way. “Morning, I’ve got two hot chocolate.”

“Thank you,” an older man said, the younger one with him smiling slightly.

“Can I get you anything else?” you asked.

“Could we order some hot food?”

“Sure, let me just get a pad. I’ll be right back.”

Walking around the diner had become like a dance now, bouncing around the tables and chairs, back and fourth to the counter. “Eddie order for table 4,” you said, sticking the paper under a magnet.

Another grunt in acknowledgment, as the ticket was pulled down and into the kitchen.

“Morning Y/N,” a familiar voice spoke.

“Mr Connors, good morning. What can I get for you?”

“A tea for Cynthia,” he said, smiling over at his wife, “And a coffee for me.”

“I’ll bring them over.” The older man nodded, making his way to sit across the booth from his wife.

“25 years they’ve been coming here, and every time it’s like their first date all over again,” Liz said, sighing dreamily.

“Are you married?”

“Mhm, coming up to 15 years. Got a couple kids too, they mean the world to me. How about you Honey you got someone?”

You shook your head, “Now that does surprise me.”

“Why’s that?”

“I mean, look at you. You’re pretty girl.”

“Thank you,” you said shyly, “Honestly I’m just too busy.”

She nodded, filling up a mug with warm coffee and another with tea you heard an order called. “Order up.”

“I’ll take the drinks, you take the orders,”Liz said, sliding the mugs from the counters.

“Is this all of it?” you called over to Eddie, he turned half way so you could see the side of his face. He nodded and you moved quickly, feeling your face flush. Hoping that chatting with customers would take your mind off the beautiful man through the other room.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“I’ll see you later Liz,” you waved to the older woman, “Oh hang on Honey, I’ve got something to ask you.” You stopped in your tracks, car keys in hand.

“Do you think you could do the night shift on Friday?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar when I get home, I’ll call and let you know.”

“Okay, thanks Hun, you have a good night.”

You hadn’t done a night shift yet, Liz did a couple a week and Eddie seemed to live there, often taking doubles. Speaking of Eddie you raised your hand to wave goodbye, as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Nodding your way he let out a breath of smoke, sitting himself down on an old crate at the door. You climbed into your car and we’re on your way.

“Mom,” you called out when you entered the house. It was strangely quiet, her car was on the drive so she must be here. Hanging up your bag and jacket, you slid your shoes off.

Your feet padded across the floor, finding your mom on the couch. Her eyes closed, her chest moving up and down gently. “Mom?” you said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She was burning up, “Mom, come on let’s get you to bed.” She groaned as you helped her up, eyes barely opening as you took her to her room. “I’ll be back I’m just getting you some water.”

Taking a glass from the side of her bed you went to the bathroom, filling it with water and grabbing her some medication from the cupboard. “Here you go mom,” you said, helping her sit up.

Closing the curtains, the room was almost in darkness. “Was work okay?” she croaked out. “Yeah it was fine, they’ve asked me to do a night shift on Friday, gotta check the calendar.”

“You go do that honey, I’ll be okay.”

“Okay. You rest up, I’ll come and check on you later.” The woman hummed softly, snuggling down under her blanket and resting her head on the pillow.

Luckily Friday was free and you could take the shift, and your mom was off so she could rest and and get rid of whatever sickness this was. Dialling the number for the diner you waited for a few rings, a voice finally appearing.

“Old Bear Diner, how can I help?”

“Hi Eddie, it’s Y/N.”

“Oh hello, you alright?”

“Yeah was just calling to tell Liz I can do the Friday night shift.”

“Right, I’ll let her know.”

“Thank you.”

“Hm. See you Friday.”

“See you.” After hanging up you pressed your hand to your chest, how could a 20 second conversation do this to you.

You couldn’t even see him, it was just his voice. Dear god his voice. Get it together. He’s just a hot guy at work, would you find him hot outside of work? Probably not.

Okay that’s a total lie - grumpy metal head. Yes please.

You groaned placing your forehead on the cold wall, suddenly feeling the need for a hot shower.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Honey go to work, it’s just a cold.”

“Fine, but you’ll call if you need me?”

“Of course I will now shift it, you’re going to be late,” your mom said, pulling you to the door.

“Drive safe, I love you.”

“Love you mom.”

Arriving at the diner it was already busy, but that made sense for a Friday night. You parked your car up and went in through the back, not wanting to squeeze your way past the customers.

Eddie was there, standing on a cigarette he was clearly finished with. “Hey,” you said.

“Hello.” He held the door open for you, letting you duck under his arm. You held your breath as you did so. How did he smell so nice?

“Is Liz here?” you asked.

“It’s her anniversary, so night off. So it’s us, May and Chris.” You hummed, May was older than you and Eddie, but Chris was around the same age.

“Okay well I’m gonna go and get sorted.” He hummed, heading back to the kitchen, but watching you go first. Soon enough you were out on the counter saying a quick hello to May and Chris.

“Evening,” the man smiled, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. “How’s it going?”

“You know,” you shrugged. He looked like he was going to continue, but a group of teens sat down at a booth.

“I’ll go and sort them,” you smiled, grabbing a pad and pen from the counter. “Hiya guys what can I get for you?” And so the shift began.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It was busy, manic even. When one table was dealt with another three seemed to need your attention. By 11pm your feet were burning. “Y/N, you can have your break now honey,” May spoke.

“You sure?”

“Mhm, grab something to eat, have a drink.”

Your shift would end at 5am, so keeping your energy was important. Nodding you headed to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water as you went.

Eddie turned slightly to see who was coming in, “Order?”

“Just mine.”

“What can I get for you?”

“Just some fries please.”

The man raised a brow at you,”That’s all you want?”

“Mhm.” He nodded, turning back to the grill, there were no tickets so it shouldn’t take too long. You opened your bottle of water, taking a swig.

“Go sit, I’ll bring it over.”

“You sure?”

“Do you know you ask that question about 50 times in a shift. I’m sure, go rest.”

You chuckled, pushing back into the main area, taking a seat on the furthest table. You head rested on your folded arms on the table, closing your eyes.

There was the faint sound of music playing from a jukebox, chatter, the sizzling of pans in the kitchen. It had become a soothing sound, a sound you were used too.

A few minutes passed, lightly dozing as you sat there. A hand pressed on your shoulder, “Hey.” Eddie.

“I’m awake.”

“I can see that. Eat up.” You rubbed your eyes, looking at the food on the table.

There was fries and a burger, “I only asked for-“

“I know. But you’re also falling asleep, so you need the energy. Eat up,” he said, offering you a tight lipped smile.

“Thank you.”

“Mhm. Eat.” You nodded, taking one of the fries, Eddie left you to it. Turning you head to watch him, you saw his eyes already on you.

Both of you looked away quickly, faces flushing. You tried to focus on your food, your shift would soon be over, then you wouldn’t see Eddie for a few days.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It was finally the end of your shift and you were dead on your feet, you had no idea how the others did it. You threw your apron into your bag, sliding on your jacket and getting your car keys.

“See you later,” you waved to Liz who’d just arrived. “You get some rest Honey.” Heading out the back, you were met by Eddie, he stood by the wall smoking a cigarette.

“You heading out?” he asked.

“Mhm, I’ll see you Monday,” you replied, heading towards your car, feet heavy and eyes sore. “Y/N hang on.”

You turned to see Eddie, he threw the cigarette butt to the ground, “You’re dead on your feet, let me give you a ride.”

“It’s fine Eddie.”

“No it’s not, you look like you’re gonna fall asleep at the wheel. Come on we can even take your car, if you trust me.”

“Sure, but are you-“ he cut you off.

“Honestly, I’m sure. I don’t want you getting hurt. Now key,” he said, holding out his hand. You dropped them into his large palm without another word, heading to the passenger side.

“So where are we headed?” Eddie asked, you mumbled out your address, “Not too far then.”

“No not really. You really don’t have to do this.”

“Sweetheart, honestly it’s not a big deal.”

Holy fuck. Sweetheart. Oh my god. Your half asleep brain couldn’t deal with this.

“W-what about your van?”

“I’ll just walk back and pick it up, no big deal.”

“Eddie-“

“Shush.”

You sighed, knowing you weren’t going to win this fight. You sat quietly, it wasn’t awkward it was nice. It was a comfortable silence. Resting your head against the window, you heard Eddie pull out from the diner.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Hey, Sweetheart, wake up.” Eddies soft tone brought you back. “I’m awake.” A light chuckle came out, “I know you are. You’re home.”

Looking up you were parked outside your house, “Thank you,” you said.

“Anytime.” The pair of you climbed out of your car, Eddie placing the keys back in your hand.

“You get some rest okay?”

“Okay,” you mumbled, looking at your feet. “Sweetheart, seriously,” he lifted your face softly with his fingers, holding it so you’d meet his eye.

“How many jobs have you done this week?”

“Well … I did a couple shifts at the diner, then I babysat Holly Wheeler, then I helped out at the green grocers. That’s about it.”

“And then you’ve been coming home and cleaning? Making dinner?”

“My mom can’t do it all alone.”

“You don’t have to do it all either, you’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“I’m fine.”

“Seriously you need to rest. I’m gonna tell Liz to swap your Monday shift okay?”

“No! Eddie please I’m fine.”

“But you’re not.”

“I need the money, I need to help my mom.”

“Your mom is the parent this can’t all be on you.” You felt anger bubbling up in your stomach, an emotion you’ve never felt towards Eddie.

“Well hospital bills don’t pay themselves, my dads care won’t pay itself off. I need to help her or we loose everything and I won’t do that. So think what you want, but if I don’t work at the diner on Monday I’ll find somewhere else,” you said, pulling your face away from his hand.

“Thanks for the ride,” you slinked passed him, unlocking the front door, not even looking behind you as you went in.

“Shit,” the curly haired boy said to himself.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You were back in the diner for your Monday shift, and maybe Eddie was right, maybe you were making yourself sick. On Saturday night you babysat some kids down the street. Then on Sunday you helped clean Mrs Harris’ house again, then came home to do your own.

“Order up,” Eddie called from the kitchen, you walked over taking the plates. “It’s for table 7.” You hummed in acknowledgement, heading over to the group.

It was 4 men, older than your mother, but younger than Liz. They seemed to be businessmen, you didn’t have a lot of those passing through here.

“I’ve got the waffles and bacon,” you spoke, sliding the plate in front of one of them. “Blueberry pancakes.” Another man raised his hand, “I’ll be back with yours in a second.”

“Take all the time you need Sweetcheeks,” one of the man said, his voice was sickly and you could feel his eyes on your behind as you walked back to the counter. You skin crawled at the feeling.

“Is this the last of it for 7?” You asked Eddie.

“Yeah, that’s all. You okay?” He questioned, you could see his furrowed brows through the window. “Yeah, fine.”

Turning you headed back to the men, “I’ve got scrambled eggs, bacon and hashbrowns.” You placed the plate down as quickly as you could without throwing it at the man. “And here’s the Old Bear special,” you said, to the creepy man.

“Thanks Sweetcheeks.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“How about a top up?” he said, shaking his empty coffee cup. “Sure.”

Grabbing the jug of freshly brewed coffee you, took the mans mug, along with the others at the table, filling them up. “Can I get you anything else?” Please say no.

“Actually, I’d love a piece of you,” the man smirked, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you to him. This caused you to panic dropping the coffee jug, the glass exploded everywhere and the hot liquid splashed your skin.

“You stupid girl!” The man exclaimed, throwing himself from the booth, his lap covered in the scalding liquid. “I-I’m so sorry!” you exclaimed.

“How stupid can you be! You burnt me! You absolute fool!”

“What’s going on over here?” Liz asked.

“This stupid waitress spilt hot coffee all over me and my breakfast, I demand that she’s fired!”

“I only dropped the coffee because you grabbed me!” you shouted.

“You stupid bitch! I’ll grab you alright,” the man launched for your throat, but was stopped by a hand around the back of his shirt.

“Get out,” Eddie said in his ear, his tone deadly, his eyes unblinking. “Me? She’s the one who-“

“You come in, you assault my staff and she panics, that’s your fault. You want to press charges go for it, but I doubt your wife will be happy when she finds out you’re trying to get with other women.”

“You asshole.”

“Get out of my diner, all of you. Before I show you how much you’ve pissed me off.”

The four men scrambled out, falling over each other as they went.

“Are you alright Honey?” Liz asked, wrapping her arm around your shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’ll uh, go and get a broom and the mop.”

“Oh no Honey I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine, it’s my fault.”

“No. Don’t even think that,” Eddie spoke up, walking over to you, “It was that assholes fault. You’re going home.”

“W-what no!”

“Yes, well actually you’re going to the hospital to get your arm checked.”

You looked down, not even realising the burning sensation on your right arm. It was covered in hot coffee. “I have a shift to finish.”

“Fine, I’ll drive you there now. Liz, you and James will be okay right?” he asked.

“Sure and if not, I’ll call Chris or May or Connie.”

“Great, come on get your stuff, let’s go.” Eddie led you out the back, holding your things in his hand, another on the small of your back.

“We’ll take my van okay, we can pick up your car later,” Eddie spoke. You just nodded, not really having any words to say. Climbing up, you took your bag and jacket from him, placing it by your feet.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Minus the humiliation, the burning on your arm, being assaulted by a man, and you know probably losing the best job you’ve ever had - yeah you were great.

“Sweetheart, hey. It’s okay, you’re alright.” Eddies hands touched your cheeks, wiping away at tears you didn’t even know had been falling. “I’m so sorry,” you sniffled.

“What on earth for? None of that was your fault!” he stated.

“But I could’ve just-“

“Sweetheart he was a slime ball who hasn’t got any in years cause his wife thinks he’s gross. It’s not your fault that he doesn’t know how to behave when a pretty girl is around.”

Pretty.

“I’m just sorry. I really liked working here.”

“Liked? You leaving or something?” he asked. “I thought that after that I’d - well you wouldn’t want me to work there anymore.”

“You’re like my favourite person at this place, if I had it my way you’d go nowhere.”

“I don’t want to leave.” He leaned over and squeezed your good hand, “Then don’t, except right now because you need a doctor.”

You huffed a laugh, and Eddie pulled away, started up the truck and you were on the way.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Walking into the ER, it wasn’t overly busy, and Eddie led you to a seat. “Stay here I’ll get us some help,” he said. You nodded as he went to the desk, speaking to the nurse sat behind it.

The nurse.

Oh man.

Your mom.

“What’s the name?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

“What?”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Eddie repeated. Your mom stood up walking around the desk, eyes meeting yours.

“Baby! What happened,” she said, rushing to your side. “I’m okay mom, just an accident at work.”

“Well thank goodness you came here. Let’s get you fixed up.”

It would probably get her in trouble, but she didn’t care, pulling you through to an examination room. Eddie followed you through, standing at the door.

“So I’m gonna clean it up and wrap it, we’ve got some creams at home to help.”

“I’m okay mom.”

“Thank you for bringing her in,” she spoke to Eddie. “Oh yeah of course.”

“So you work together?” she asked.

“Mhm, yeah Eddies the cook and uh the owner.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Eddie.”

“You too ma’am.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“I can finish early, take you home,” Your mom said. “It’s fine I’m okay.”

“I’ll drive her, can bring your car by later.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“What a sweet boy. Now go, my shift ends at 4.”

“Okay.”

Your mom pressed a kiss to your head, saying goodbye to the pair of you. Sat in the van, Eddie spoke, “Your mom seems nice.”

“Mhm, she is.”

“I can see why you want to look after her.”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you the other day.”

“I deserved it.”

“You didn’t, how were you supposed to know.”

“I should have backed off, I am sorry about your dad though.”

“Yeah me too, but you know we’re getting by.” He nodded, and sighed before talking, “Sweetheart, I know you’ll hate me for this, but I can’t let you come back to work until that arm heals up a bit okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered.

“But as soon as you’re good to come back, you can.”

“Thank you Eddie.”

“Of course.”

The drive to your house wasn’t a long one, and your arm wasn’t tingling anymore. “Thank you for today,” you said to Eddie.

“It’s okay, uh feel free to say no, but do you want some company?”

“Don’t you have to get back to the diner?”

“I’m the boss, I can go back whenever. So company?” You smiled, nodding, allowing him to follow you into the house.

“Your house is lovely,” he smiled.

“Thank you, uh get comfy, I’m just going to change.” You motioned to the lounge, as you headed to your room, wanting to get out of your work attire.

Changing into sweats and a short sleeve tee, you returned to find Eddie looking at photos dotted around the place. “That was the first vacation we ever went on,” you smiled.

You were stood between your parents, all of you had snowboards, thick coats and pants along with huge boots. You grinned a cheesy smile, a few teeth missing due to your age. Your parents were smiling too, laughing at your enthusiasm.

“You were cute,” Eddie nodded.

“Were?” you joked, but Eddies ears went pink. “I’m not saying you’re not cute now! You’re beautiful! I just mean that-“ You laughed, “Eds I’m teasing.”

The man smiled, face flushed, “You, Sweetheart, are a pain.”

“Hm, sure. Want to watch a movie?” you asked. “Yeah that sounds great.”

“I’ll go make some popcorn.”

I’ve got it, just tell me where it is.”

“I can do it.”

“Seriously, we don’t need another trip to the ER, what would your mother think of me?”

You rolled your eyes at him, making the man chuckle and leave to go to the kitchen. “It’s in the cupboard above the microwave,” you called to him.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The boy looked down, feeling a soft weight on his shoulder. They were half way through Return of the Jedi when he felt it. Looking down his stomach fluttered.

She looked so peaceful, her eyelashes kissing her skin, her chest rising and falling softly. Her hand didn’t look so red and sore now, her mom had done a great job. Soft breaths left the girl as she fell into a deeper sleep.

The curly haired man couldn’t help but smile, resting his own head on hers, letting his eyes fall shut.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You felt a comforting warmth beneath your cheek, rising and falling. A hand on your waist and a chin on your head. Shit. You’d fallen asleep.

Looking up slightly, you saw Eddie dozing away. He looked so cute. So calm. “Eddie,” you whispered. “Hm?” he mumbled.

“Eddie.”

“What’s wrong?” he said, voice deep and grumbly from sleep.

It was the sexiest thing you’d ever heard.

“We fell to sleep.”

“So?” You laughed at the sleepy boy, letting your head stay on his chest. “See, isn’t that bad is it?” he said.

“No, apart from the fact my mom is definitely home and has seen us.”

“I should probably go then,” he mumbled into your hair. “You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I need to check on the diner.”

You nodded, pushing up off of him, leading him to the front door. “Thank you for today.”

“Of course, I hope you don’t mind if I call to check how you’re doing.”

“Not at all, I mean you could drop by if you want.”

“Well I have to bring your car back so, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I’ll see you,” you smiled softly. The man raised a hand, walking to his van.

Shit, you couldn’t let him go.

“Eddie!” you called, jogging over, feet cold on the concrete beneath. “What is it?” he asked, concern in his eyes.

“Um, I just,” you began, but stood on your tiptoes, pressing your lips to his plush ones. They were warm and soft and made your stomach burst. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” you whispered.

“I’ll see you,” he smiled.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Thank you so much for reading!

Please leave any requests 🤍

#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson imagine #stranger things imagine #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x yn #joe quinn #joe quinn imagine #eddie stranger things #eddie x y/n #eddie x reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x you #cook!eddiemunson #chef!eddiemunson #waitress!reader #strsnger things #strangerthings #joesph quinn imagine #joesph quinn #joseph quinn imagine #joseph quinn #fluff #oneshot #imagine #louloulemons

[barren-heart]

The Hidden Love Story of What We Do in the Shadows: How The Internet Fell in Love with Harvey Guillen’s Guillermo de la Cruz

I think it’s fair to call this show what it is: a comedy.

The actors have said it’s themselves: the show is 50% improv, 50% script. A lot of what we see is a brilliant collaboration of talent, writing, and the actors saying the funniest thing they can say about something in that moment.

According to Harvey Guillen, some scenes would last 30 minutes each if they didn’t cut it down. That improv is what makes the show what is it: the funniest show on television.

What’s interesting about this little Shit and Fart show (affectionate), is the heart of it all: Guillermo.

Originally the show was looking for an older man to play Nandor’s familiar. The character had worked for his master for 20 years, not 10 as we see in the pilot episode.

Harvey got an audition randomly. At a wine and cheese night of a friend’s, he was invited to audition for the part. It was random, but also, it was fate.

Let me explain.

Harvey Guillen auditioning for the role of Guillermo

(I actually have the full audition tape of Harvey’s if anyone’s interested.) Link below!

Harvey didn’t “fit the part” (Harvey’s words) whatsoever of this character and decided to dress himself to look older, putting on what he calls his Harry Potter glasses and parted his hair down the middle.

The Guillermo we see in the pilot was all Harvey’s idea of what that character should be and the costuming department just ran with it. It’s also fun to point out that to those who don’t know, Harvey created Guillermo’s last name even before he knew he’d play the show’s Vampire Slayer.

I mention this because I don’t think they (showrunner, producers,etc) expected Guillermo to become such a fan favorite. Which kinda explains why his character is the punching bag of season one and why it somewhat changes as seasons go by.

I mean, we don’t even see Guillermo in this season one poster (we don’t see Colin Robinson, either. But I feel like I could write an entirely other post about that character and why I think he’s genuinely the best and most consistently written character on the show. But I won’t right now).

I think they expected Guillermo to be a one-note side kick, which is fine. Many of Harvey’s previous roles were nearly background characters (think Benedict Pickwick in The Magicians).

But, Harvey’s take on the character coupled with his talent at being both comedic and dramatic really shined through. And I think that’s where you start to see that maybe they could do more with him than just being the funny guy in the background.

I also think that’s why you start to see some threading of a more serious plot when it comes to Guillermo’s storyline because of Harvey’s range.

Who would’ve known a funny bit like being a Van Helsing descent in a house full of vampires would get you compelling scenes like the familiar fight The Night Market, Nouveau Théâtre des Vampires, and the Nandor and Guillermo fight in The Portrait?

Harvey mentioned having to train for these and wanted to do his own stunts! And he does them well!

Did they imagine Guillermo being such a badass in the pilot? Probably not. But he is and people took to it. The serious fight scenes (even with bits of comedy filtered in) really stand out in their own as excellent action scenes.

Along with badass scenes, Harvey delivered compelling emotional scenes like Guillermo’s coming out (which Harvey actually cried in as well as other cast and crew, and they had to edit it to not make it too serious), the scene he left Nandor for Celeste, and many scenes in S5’s Exit Interview.

I also think they didn’t anticipate his chemistry with Kayvan Novak. It’s brought up a lot in interviews with them and everyone can tell that they genuinely are really good friends in real life, which makes acting together on screen that much better.

(Funny enough, he was supposed to do a chemistry read with Kayvan before shooting and wasn’t able to meet him until they were on set for the pilot. )

I think in some ways, even though the show wanted it to be a funny Gaston and Lefou type relationship, Kayvan and Harvey had undeniable chemistry you couldn’t deny.

And I think that began to grow with their character’s evolving relationship. From master and servant to friends to sometimes the show and network alluding to them being in a romance (Guillermo’s drunk love confession, Marwa liking what Nandor likes, the Network making videos about shipping Nandermo).

And even Paul Simms (the one who is being grilled for That’s His Boss quote), also said “Guillermo and Nandor is the greatest love story in modern television.”

So yeah, I think originally they started the show with the intention that it was supposed to be similar to the movie that shares its name. The Nandor/Guillermo drama of Shadows the TV show would be so out of place in the movie. The whole Guillermo vampire arc, if it was movie inspired, would not be as dramatic as they have made it in the show.

Looking back to the pilot, I can see that they really tried to make it as close to the source material as possible. But I think it took off in a direction that even the creators didn’t imagine it would go. Just a silly little comedy show about silly little vampires. And don’t get me wrong, it still definitely is.

But the show has evolved. And for better or worse, Nandor and Guillermo’s relationship will be one of the most compelling things about the show and I’m curious where they are going to take it now.

I guess this turned into a bit of an Harvey Guillen appreciation post and honestly, why not? Look at that adorable face.

#what we do in the shadows #WWDITS #guilermo de la cruz #harvey guillen #nandor the relentless #nandermo #the greatest love story in modern television #shadows fx #fx #wwdits fx

[thatdeadaquarius]

Harry Potter/Genshin Impact Crossover Fun🎉

for @kiraisastay my beta reader for the big fat Eldritch AU awhile back! :)

“…a genshin/Harry Potter crossover where reader (still fem) comes from genshin (so she has a vision) and tries to fit in at Hogwarts (would love for it to be set around the Goblet Of Fire so the hp characters in that age start maturing and actually understand what happens around them and aren't little kids , plus, y'know, YULE BALL), would also like for the reader to have a more stoic/emotionless personality with tragic past (so like having scars y'knowww) cuz it makes character building a lot more juicy ahah, but you can write it however you want tho!! (this can be funnier to write if you're feeling a lot creative)”

UGH sorry i took forever! im rlly bad at estimating time...

I hope this is a fun read at least, and thanks for much for taking on that eldritch monster fic awhile back lol

☆

Orbit: Long Headcanon/fic-thing (~2k words) - Harry Potter x Genshin Impact Crossover (4th Year)

Sun: Feminine Reader (she/her), Slytherin Reader, Reader is 15-16 year old.

Stars: Harry, Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, Viktor Krum, mentions of others.

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: Reader has rough past, & Trigger Warnings: vague mentions of scars, Reader has bad relationship with parents.

☆

You’re so fucking happy your Cryo Vision came with you.

You knew you were in a different country, one you definitely had never been to before, but you couldn’t figure out for the life of you where it was at first

Your first guess was Fontaine, but the robes and strange overuse of catalyst weapons (actually, only catalyst weapons??) began to convince you otherwise real quick,

Fontaine was just the closest country you could compare it to

yeah so obviously by the time u realized you shouldn't be waving a sword around, it was too late lmao, u scared the shit out of the potions shopkeeper and had to make a hasty exit

bc for some reason any other weapon than a catalyst is shamed here?? which makes no sense to you, as it seems like their “magic” here could just as easily be channeled into different weapons/items??

u guess not having monsters to randomly fight everytime u just wanna take a walk outside makes for a pretty peaceful world, and specifically this country ”England” or the “United Kingdom”

u had taken a week or so to re-orient yourself to this new world, how only a certain society knew about their magic, how there were no gods here, at least not any u could easily interact with, and that most people your age would be in school still???

while u could choose to pursue higher education or specialize in Sumeru’s Akademiya, basic schooling was still provided in every country in Teyvat up until about 15 years old

but at this point u were willing to do what it took to blend into this world, and u didnt want anyone to be asking how old u were/why u werent in school when you wandered around, so u went to Hogwarts

It also proved to be a good way to acquaint urself with the world/its magic and give u a place to better excuse any social or magical mistakes

But needless to say, u struggled, u had to constantly find some workaround for “magic” from the wands/catalysts in classes

and luckily they took u being a transfer student pretty smoothly, as u were just in time for the “Triwizard Tournament” to be announced and other schools were coming to participate, u easily got accepted in

and the only one who batted an eye at it was the weird old Headmaster, who u already suspected knew more abt u than he was letting on (Dumbledore seemed to have eyes everywhere the more u learned, which made u more suspicious of him too)

you'd been sorted into Slytherin, along with the Russian magical students, (Durmstrang?)

of which you had absolutely no frame of reference for how bad that was, other than being accused of literally being from the Abyss 💀

while the rest of the student body treated u with the basic contempt u learned all Slytherins just seemed to kind of get all the time, ur own house was a little more confusing when it came to you

some were curious abt all the scars, the strange glowing snowflake gem that u concealed on ur hip, what ur country was like and what the magic school over there was like (thank fuck for ur poker face and insane lying skills that made it believable)

(there was absolutely a rumor abt u pulling a sword on Filch at some point, u neither denied nor supported it)

the other half of the slytherins were all uptight about u possibly being a “Muggleborn” and sneered at u every chance they got (some weird blond kid a year or 2 below you??)

or they outright ignored u

tbh u didn't really get much genuine favor between Slytherins just being Slytherins and ur own reputation/cold disposition until Professor Snape saw how good u were at potions a month into this insanity

(it was just basic alchemy? nearly everyone, especially Vision-users, knew how to do it back home? why was it so special here?? u had this kind of question a lot in this world over most things, like the “muggles dont know abt magic” thing, it seem like more trouble than its worth.)

U both got along in the same way a cold-demeanor father bonds with his carbon copy cold-demeanor daughter lol

in which he invited u for tea sometimes out of polite extra teaching for “ur future plans of being a potion master, like myself”

which okay?? u were better than most ur age at potions bc of alchemy (which u learned is taught at higher levels of potion mastery) and its not like you've figured out how to get back to ur world anytime soon

so u just roll with that being ur “future career” for now, it makes the old emo professor happy so u figure why not

And its the first scrap of favor you’ve found here so it works

Tho u did complain at Snape for picking on Gryffindors, saying “ur rlly not helping that Slytherin reputation for tall dark and evil here”

He proceeded to make u clean and reorganize his potion stores for that lol

(Tho he did start to lighten up the more u picked on him abt it, the poor kid with huge round glasses followed you with his huge green eyes for weeks, he seems to be the only one who's really realized ur the one convincing Snape to mellow out)

U begin researching information (thanks to Snape) in the forbidden part of the library abt different worlds/time travel, anything thatd put u close to possibly getting back home

Or, to be honest, a portal would be better, bc youd like to come back here sometimes,

Its not like u have family back home (not any who you'd want to visit), mostly just a few good friends who'd be worried abt u (Childe misses his sparring partner for sure)

Which then leads u to noticing that boy with the black hair and big round glasses (was it smth like,,, harold sculptor? Atp that seems like a feasible name to you bc in this world parents rlly were cruel abt naming their kid “feathery” or smth wild)

Harold and two others, one with fluffy long hair, and the other a redhead,

Were attempting to “spy” on u from behind bookshelves or at tables seated near the forbidden section

U saw them learn the times u came there and how they made sure to match them (tho it seems the redhead got bored easily and begged to eat instead)

You'd actually managed to make friends with some Durmstrang friends in the meantime too

And by that u mean Viktor Krum mostly

Ppl were constantly obsessed with him and he'd managed to escape up the astronomy tower to get some peace and quiet,

Only to run into u reading away, and he'd heard abt ur reputation, and wanted to befriend u

U two got along rlly well, lots of peaceful silences, and chill convos, esp since u guys had some stuff in common

Mostly how ur both foreign to Hogwarts/this country and adjusting still

Anyway that is to say, Viktor teased u abt the ducklings following u around everywhere thinking they were sneaky

And this was a routine u got used to, until it was time for the tournament

You hadnt bothered to put ur name in, u didnt feel like risking ur life for no reason afterall

So needless to say u were pissed when rumors went around abt u putting Harol- Harry's name in the goblet

(u finally learned his name, apparently he's famous for not dying? As a baby?? A powerful tyrant evil wizard wanted to kill him as a baby??? Just,, why)

Not only that but then he was obligated to be in the tournament???

U knew there was smth insane abt this school, bringing back this crazy tournament in the first place, somehow getting Harry's name in the goblet,

but u didn't think they were batshit crazy.

(Dumbledore is not helping his case in your eyes, esp as u suspect he’s got Snape involved in his BS too somehow…)

So needless to say you were going to fix this mess since these seasoned “wizard adults” weren't 😒

You snuck into the Great Hall using a high level alchemy invisibility amulet, and used ur Cryo vision to extinguish the Goblet of Fire 💀

It reset the game, and luckily they were able to resubmit the champions to the Triwizard Tournament and hide away the Goblet before it got tampered with again

Lol u got Harry out of it, and it wasnt until later in the library that u get cornered by the Gryffindor fourth year himself

He admits to seeing u under his invisibilty cloak that night and thanks you for getting him out of that hell, poor kid looks so grateful 😭

But regardless of that, he insists u tell him abt the ice spell u used, how u used it wandless, with no incantation, etc.

You just gave him a small smile (his big green eyes look even more shocked behind the glasses, what, was that old professor right? do u rlly not smile that much?) and tell him he owes u one

He agrees and u go on ur way to the forbidden section

(U dont explain the ice, afterall, who would believe him? You werent even that much older, and only “master wizards” could do what u did)

After that, Harry starts to follow u around a lot more,

much to the annoyance of his redhead friend (Rodrick? Rocky? smth with a R-) and the absolute admiration of the younger girl with big hair

the champions start the first trial, and u help Viktor out with a plan to defeat the dragon and get the egg in one piece (u had lots of experience with monsters after all, and Viktor and Snape, who couldn't keep his big nose out of your business, were simultaneously disturbed and yet not surprised by this information)

it works flawlessly, and that's when you notice the new DA teacher acting suspicious

as the champions gear up for the 2nd trial, u help Viktor try to figure out the egg’s secrets,

Both Harry and Hermione have taken to interrupting ur library research time (u finally learned her name, but not the redhead, he seemed a bit rude tbh so u don't care to know)

after brainstorming (well more like talking at the brick wall that was Snape) with the old potions professor over tea gossip time again, u finally figure out how to get the egg open without screaming, and tell Viktor

Who thanks u by taking u to the Yule Ball, but u only manage the first dance before u get absorbed in the food and the cool decor, and u also convince him to gossip with u in the corner too

(u do appreciate having a reason to dress up at least, as you attempt to imitate the Tsaritsa herself with this dress)

U notice further on into the night that Hermione ran out looking upset, and ur “girl’s girl” instinct kicks in, (regardless of ur neutrality for her, u lie to urself) and follow her outside to comfort her

u talk, and tho ur cold demanour did intimidate her a little, after she realized u were genuinely trying to help her, she took u up on the offer, and asked if u two could be friends since she’s “surrounded by stupid Gryffindor boys all the time”

u agreed amused, and convinced her to join Viktor and u in ur gossip session, which Harry (after humiliating himself on the dance floor), joined in later as well

(You may or may not have iced the floor secretly under the redhead’s and the equally annoying prissy Slytherin blonde’s feet, sending them sprawling on top of each other, so neither would come bother u four)

Over the next week you hear from Hermione’s researching/studying sessions with you that Ron did apologize to her, of which u advised her to get revenge on him anyway lmao

Harry at one point came groaning and complaining to you abt Cedric bothering him abt the egg problem, and u went ahead and gave it to him

Finally the next task was here, something abt rescuing smth underwater that mattered to each of the champions

u were immediately on ur guard when Dumbledore called u and 3 other seemingly random ppl to ur office (but u began to connect the dots after realizing one of them was the little sister of the Fontai- French Champion)

only to deflect the spell that would've knocked u out, and instead pretend to be knocked out

u obv kept ur Vision on u at all times, as always, and realized what was happening as the teachers levitated u all out to the lake

Snape snapped about being the one in charge of you, (and lowkey told u he knew u were awake, did he sound a little,, proud?? no, not Snape surely of all ppl)

Viktor did end up fishing you out, which he said u “looked like a very unhappy drenched old tom cat” while swimming to shore, (u awkwardly pat him on the back for thinking ur the best part of Hogwarts, and then smacked him for getting u kidnapped to go into a freezing lake)

and u also ended up helping Viktor rescue the other girl left behind, and froze some of the mermaids’ tails in the water for their trouble

Fleur was so grateful that she came to hunt you (and Viktor too at the time) for helping her and her sister that she came to thank u two again while at the library

which then led to her sometimes hanging around ur table at the library (everyone avoids it like the plague initially bc of you, but now youve got a gaggle of wizards rotating out all the time, like the younger years Harry/Hermione/Ron, Viktor, and now Fleur)

by the time the third trial rolls around, youve taken to bullying the prissy blonde brat a year below you to keep him from not only bothering Harry and Hermione, but also ur own peace and quiet

The other Slytherins are beginning to warm up to you, or at least not actively ignore you, since you’ve been hanging around Viktor Krum, along with gaining favor from Snape more obviously (he’d plopped a singular towel in ur lap after getting out of the lake, and u might as well have “Snape’s Favorite” written across ur forehead for all that means)

(also some of them may or may not find u roasting the annoying blonde bully kid amusing too)

it isn't until u see the creepy retired Aura (or whatever they call their knights) DA professor milling about the castle more, nearer the Gryffindor tower, that you begin to warn Harry to spread the word among his little lion club to not travel alone, esp in the evenings

(u don't like how his weird rolling blue eye looks thru you, it reminds u of Dumbledore)

by the time the third trial is finally announced, you have ur sights set on that weird old man, and end up following him to his classroom at one point,

in which he cracks open a rattling trunk, tosses some food in, and seems to have definitely stolen what you assume to be the Triwizard trophy

he casts a spell on it, and you put on that same invisibiltiy amulet from alchemy to better follow him, and watch him sneak into Dumbledore’s office to return the trophy

(You break the “portkey” spell you find on it)

(you also leave a note behind on the headmaster’s desk to look into a trunk in the new DA professor’s classroom storage, and to be more careful hiring the next one.)

Harry somehow gets sucked into the maze you find out, and you end up sneaking in to save him, using your sword and Cryo Vision to battle him out

(finally, Archons, you didnt realize how much you'd miss fighting monsters)

Aurors descend upon Hogwarts, only just after the trial ends, and Viktor wins (you trained him too well for him to not, and may or may not have viciously sparred with him a little too much for him to not be a little afraid of the consequences of losing after you helped him so much lol)

Just as Harry is taken in by Dumbledore for questioning of how he got trapped in the maze, he runs back to nearly squeeze the life out of you in a hug, he tells you thanks for helping him again (and forced u to promise to teach him sword fighting or “ice magic”)

Then, surprisingly, the entirety of Durmstrang (and some Slytherins??) haul you up into the air with Viktor to celebrate his victory

(You can see Snape snickering at ur misery in the air)

Viktor and Fleur stay penpals, and the “golden trio” (more like “gryffindor triplets”) sticks around your library table

and you think you could start to get used to this, and Harry, Hermione, and Snape had gotten you a Yule/winter gift

(what’s Christmas. and why is everyone obsessed with decorating trees??)

…that is until Hermione looks over your shoulder one day at your usual reading table, and points to a book you’ve chosen for research,

saying “if you need to make a portal somewhere, that’s the book you should be looking in.”

☆

i hope you liked it!! and that it wasn't too much of a clusterfuck/chaos that was barely readable 😅

again, thanks for being patient with me, and here's finally ur payment for dealing with my ass lmao

Happy late new year!!

Safe Travels Kirarisastay,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily / @justinsomniachild / @nanithefuck

If your tag didnt work, idk why!!

Maybe make sure your a "searchable blog", or make sure u didnt give me a side blog?

(Tumblr is against tagging/DMing side blogs, only main blogs usually can)

#genshin impact crossover #harry potter crossover #Genshin x Harry Potter crossover #Genshin x HP AU #genshin harry potter crossover #genshin isekai #genshin imagines #harry potter imagines #hp imagines #platonic #fem reader #happy late new year kiraisastay!! :)

[punkeropercyjackson]

I cannot fucking get over how the Pjo fandom depunkified(for lack of a better term)Percy.Keyword being 'how'-Because in canon,Percy is an actual punk.He grew up poor,getting bullied for being neurodivergent and with an abusive stepdad due to his birth dad abandoning him so that lead to him developing an attitude as a coping mechanism and hating rich people and other privilged groups because he knows from experience how awful they are most of the time but another thing it did to him was making him incredibly kind to minorities especially and a Team Parent to the ones younger than him(those being Nico and Hazel in his case).And i know for a fact that if Rick didn't hate Perachel almost as much as the fandom does,he would've written him as also going to protests and doing charity work with Rachel

But the fandom dosen't ONLY pretend that none of those are traits of his but also says he's punk for headcanons that are either not canon or straight up contradicted by it.He dosen't want to be a god and finds the thought actively distressing because he's scared of his powers and hates authority.The only reasons he treated Nico badly in Hoo and wasn't the Team Mom of the Seven instead of Hazel was that Rick retconned how much he loved him as a brother in the og series because he wanted to torment his first gay character and to adultify his first darkskin black fem mc.He's not a stereotypical guy,he thinks hypermasculinity is gross and weird(see his descriptions of and interactions with Ares)and has a deep respect for all the different women in the franchise,which includes gnc ones.He dosen't dress grunge,he barely got outfit descriptions in the books and when he did,they were just normal clothes.And he's not even a skater boy,him skating was mentioned exactly once in the entire saga and it was in Sea of Monsters,when he was 13 and that book came out over ten years ago,and Piper saying he looks like one dosen't count for jackshit because she also thought she was straight at the time and it showed in her ideas of gender as shown by the Jasiper vs Jeyna fiasco

How'd y'all take a canon punk protagonist and throw away the traits that make them punk to go 'No,actually,they're punk because of these things i THINK are what punk is because i've never read up on it's history and headcanon them to have!!!'.It's making me go fucking insane,my Percy stan ass who's been exactly like him since i was a kid should ask y'all for reperatitions over this(Also:When i say fake punk traits,i'm including being a Harry Potter/Marauder's Era fan and a Switfie,that's like the basics of Poser Punk)

@desi-pluto @jelmet @jellyjays @leo-thecactus @moonage-gaydream @insomniac-jay @julieemarine @floof-ghostie @honeypotsworld @cottoncandyteeth @biandbored @mik3stuff

#percy jackson #percy jackson defense squad #perseo jackson #persephone jackson #punk!percy #black percy #latino percy #bigender percy jackson #autistic percy jackson #team parent percy jackson #demi percy jackson #antiperpollo #antipercares #antilukercy #anti luke castellan #poseidon(derogatory) #nico di angelo #hazel levesque #nico percy and hazel #rachel elizabeth dare #pro perachel #rr crit #anti harry potter #anti taylor swift #pjo #hoo #punk #pastel punk tag #trans(fem) percy jackson #summerposting

[pedgito]

for those that couldn’t listen, here’s what we’ve learned about Joseph Quinn from today’s panel (creds):

he doesn’t like pineapple on pizza

he’s happy with the questions people ask him

meeting Metallica is one of his favorite memories from this year

he speaks English is is learning Italian and German

he can understand a little bit of spanish but can’t speak it

him being in a bunch of period dramas was not a coincidence

Jamie loves his eyes

Joe Keery is his favorite costar

he has not listened to any more Harry Styles since last month

he likes the WASP pin on Eddie’s vest the most

he doesn’t meditate (but says he probably should)

Sunshine of Your Love by Cream is the first song he learned on guitar

prefers steak pie over fish n chips

he’s doing alright :)

he likes Arctic Monkeys

his favorite Arctic Monkeys song at the moment is Perfect Sense

his favorite role is Eddie

his favorite scene from stranger things was the guitar scene, but he also liked shooting with the cast (Joe, Maya, Natalia, Sadie, etc.)

he was very nervous meeting the stranger things cast

the first s4 scene he shot was in the boathouse

he thinks it’s annoying when actors talk about their process to prepare for roles

he thinks some roles come naturally and some don’t

he loved Toy Story as a child

he loved working with Gaten so much

he did some acting in school and enjoyed it and then went to drama school

he would star in Bridgerton if it was offered to him

fall is his favorite season

favorite animal is a dolphin

he is an only child

his favorite scene as Ralph was when he proposed, but he doesn’t remember much

likes the song I Am by Jamie Campbell Bower

it took him an hour to learn Master of Puppets on guitar, and a few months to get it better

he listens to Metallica

he improvises lines with more spontaneous characters

he’s had social anxiety before

his glasses are reading glasses

he needs contacts but he doesn’t have them yet

biggest pet peeve is fussy eaters but he’s fine with vegans and vegetarians

he can’t choose a favorite pasta

he would stick with Eddie even if he could’ve chosen a different stranger things role to audition for

his comfort character is Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka

Legolas is his favorite LOTR character

he finds it weird to call himself a “famous person”

he thinks him and Eddie share a “questionable fashion sense”

he cannot play the Master of Puppets solo on guitar, but the rest of the song

he loves all of the stranger things fast that he got to work with

he’d love to be a part of A Quiet Place franchise

he wanted to save animals and be a marine biologist when he was a child

his perfect date would be dinner and a movie

when playing Eddie, he drew inspiration from obnoxious people older than him growing up

doesn’t have a least favorite stranger things scene to shoot

favorite movies from this year were The Banshees of Inisherin and The Whale

he is a dog person

#joseph quinn #joe quinn #eddie munson #stranger things

[bloodreddemons]

Hazbin Hotel Episode 7-8 (Finale) Hot Takes ~

I personally loved a lot of the Charlastor content in the beginning. So cute.

The deal Alastor purposed to Charlie was also very predictable. We already knew they were going to eventually make a deal but that deal in particular was just very predictable.

I think everyone knows this already but that "one little favor" that Alastor is going to ask of her is going to bite her in the ass. We don't know what he's going to ask but it's definitely gonna come back to haunt her.

She may even make a deal with him again possibly in the future, who knows.

I'm surprised Vaggie didn't know Angel's could be harmed or killed. Its weird that she also didn't know how to fight against one.

Rosie is a real gem and a wayyyyy better friend than Mimzy fucking is.

I love Carmilla & Vaggie's dynamic. I think they both are very much the same personality wise. I definitely can see Carmilla as a mother figure to her or at least a teacher to her, which she pretty much is.

To follow up, I loved Carmilla training Vaggie and helping her get her wings back. Out For Love was also really really good. I liked it a lot.

Never thought I'd hear Alastor call someone an old bitch but it was everything.

I knew Charlie was gonna forgive Vaggie regardless of anything but I love Auntie Rosie.

I didn't really like "Ready For This". I wish I did like it. Especially since it had Charlie, Alastor, & Rosie in it. Idk I liked Out For Love more.

Vox's commentary was funny asf but he's also such a hater. Not even a low-key one lmao.

The post-fight celebration and speech was actually very sweet. Although I wish there was more time and episodes that we could have seen more of the characters bond. I also wish there were more opportunities where we got to know them better.

I really thought Angel & Husk were gonna fuck this episode.

I wasn't expecting for Sir Pentious to say "I love you" to Cherri Bomb so soon and I also didn't need to know he had 2 dicks.

"More Than Anything" Chaggie version was pretty sweet. It'd be cool if there was a longer version idk if there is. They also kissed which was nice.

Adam & Lute are funny asf. Especially Adam. They may be horrible people but I just can't get over how funny they are. Even when they're about to massacre Charlie's people. Lol.

I wasn't expecting the war to be kinda epic. The shield that Alastor put up over the hotel kinda reminded me of the last Harry Potter. When they all put a shield around Hogwart's to protect everyone from the death eaters and voldemort.

Adam might just be the funniest character in this series dead or alive. Heaven or Hell.

It pisses me off how Charlie barely does anything in the fight. Like, this is her people and her fucking hotel as she keeps saying... yet everybody else but her is fighting. Wtf? Girl yo ass should be in Sloth.

I love Alastor & Adam's dynamic, their first impression of eachother is so hilarious. The fight between them was also very entertaining. I was really curious to see who would win.

I was actually kinda surprised that Alastor was defeated so easily. I honestly thought he was stronger than that, but tbh Adam is very powerful he's the fucking first man, extermination commander, and he already single handedly broke Alastor's shield.

People have pointed out Alastor's "normal" voice when his mic/staff breaks, because it's his voice without the radio filter. Imma be honest I wasn't that shocked at all, he just sounds the same to me, the radio filter just adds a cool effect.

Charlie really could have got tf up there and helped Alastor out. Idk if she thought he could handle himself or what but fuck.

SIR PENTIOUS KISSING CHERRI WAS AMAZING. WE WON. But then he "died"...

To follow up that sacrifice was anticlimactic at the same time. Mostly because of the way Adam just effortlessly zapped him out of existence.

I'm so disappointed in the "Charlie finally snaps" bit. I was literally dying to see this part in the series, where Charlie finally loses her shit and stands up for herself or whatevever....but it ended up being extremely disappointing and yet again, anticlimactic.

Charlie's transformation along with Razzle & Dazzle was kindaaa cool, however...her getting her ass kicked within like 0.3 fucking seconds was not. It was embarrassing for a demon of her status. I can understand Alastor, but seriously Charlie? You can't beat him? The clownery.

I loved the Vaggie & Lute fight. Let my girl Vaggie finally get her ones. Lute needs her ass beat disrespectfully for what she did.

Although...Lute was winning that fight, she was still holding her own and getting more hits in. I don't even think Carmilla's teaching's were working. Lmao damn. That bitch is fucking scrappy.

Vaggie should have just ended Lute. I know she's too good for that, but she really should have just killed that bitch. She left you for dead you should have just killed her.

Charlie stabbing Adam and standing her ground was badass, but that was kinda it. She still ends up almost getting choked out. Lame.

Charlie just isn't that powerful. 😒 Or at least as she's supposed to be. Maybe it's still not really shown to us, but so far she just isn't that threatening at all. Very disappointing.

Lucifer coming in kinda pissed me off. I wish Charlie could have actually handled everything herself without her dad having to come in and help her. I just feel like it'd be more impactful for her and her character.

Adam x Lucifer actually does seem kinda hot....just me???

Their fight was very entertaining despite already knowing who would come out on top. Hehe.

"All of Mankind came from these fucking nutts" is pure poetry.

Nifty is a menace and I have been saying it since the very beginning. If anyone should be running shit it should be her. Alastor is so feared but it should be herrrr.

I didn't like "The Show Must Go On" as a song but it was sweet in the sense that it was about Charlie and her found family helping her rebuild her hotel and still have the determination to keep going. Also it helps lead off into Season 2.

I'm fucking itching to know what deal is bothering Alastor and who he made it with. It's becoming more likely that it's with Lilith & that's who owns him.

I think it's obvious the deal possibly involve's Alastor to watch over or protect Charlie. Alastor is becoming bothered by having to do this because he literally almost fucking died.

I'm really worried about what Alastor is going to do when he's finally free and under no restraints from who controls him. I know Viv said Alastor isn't an antagonist but she could've just been keeping it a secret.

Alastor really might be a secret antagonist. He'll just be that surprise villain in the end that kinda comes out of nowhere but you still knew it was coming. I wouldn't trust him especially with what he said. Him pulling the strings can't be good.

I can't believe Sir Pentious got redeemed before Angel Dust, but still good for him! I'm so happy he got redeemed he truly is good and deserves it.

I was pissed asf when I saw Lilith in Heaven. Your daughter has been in HELL fucking struggling, while you've been sitting comfy up in heaven, the same place that is fucking YOUR people up!!! Helloooo??

My theory is that Lilith is Eve in disguise. I wholeheartedly believe that because something just feels off?? Y'all feel that too??? Lilith making a deal with Adam? Chilling up in Heaven? NAH MAN.

I also think it could be Eve who owns Alastor and that he knows of her being disguised as Eve, and is in Heaven. Like he's kinda in on it, but more so by force.

#hazbin hotel #vivienne medrano #vivziepop #hazbin alastor #hazbin charlie #alastor #hazbin vaggie #charlastor #angel dust #chaggie #husker hazbin hotel #husk x angel dust #hazbin angel dust #sir pentious #sir pentious hazbin hotel #angel dust hazbin hotel #nifty hazbin hotel #nifty #charlie x vaggie #vaggie x charlie #vaggie #charlie morningstar

[aqueerpolysocialist]

Just a minute... just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no businessman. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anyone else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was... why, in the 25 years since he and his brother, Uncle Billy, started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry away to college, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter, and what's wrong with that? Why... here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You... you said... what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!

George Bailey, as played by Jimmy Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life

#it's a wonderful life #jimmy stewart #merry christmas

[pftones3482]

"Ummm they toned down the abuse from Gabe in Percy Jackson because it's a kids show, stop being mad about it"

Ignoring the fact that it's also a children's book, let's take a look at some children's media in the last couple decades that depict parental abuse towards children that isn't physical, but still makes the abuse feel real:

1. Harry Potter. I'm loathe to even put it on here bc of how much I hate JKR, but HP DOES depict child abuse in probably one of the best ways of any modern media. As far as I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong), the Dursley's never lay a hand on Harry. But it is never even questioned if they're awful people towards Harry - they literally make him sleep in a closet.

2. Matilda. Like do I even need to explain this one? Abuse from not only her whole family (again, NONE of it physical from what I recall), but also from other authority figures. And she's not the only character who deals with parental abuse - Miss Honey is a grown adult shown to be dealing with the negative effects of an abusive parental figure.

3. Phineas and Ferb. Laugh all you want, but Doofenshmirtz's parents were genuinely awful to him. His stories are just tamed down in a way that's palpable to a much younger audience while still also being clear abuse - a young child can chuckle at his stories but STILL understand why maybe some of his stories would turn him evil.

4. Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko's father physically disables his own son. Not to mention the constant emotional neglect and manipulation on top of it, the writers never held back on how bad his father was. Even if he hadn't scarred Zuko, he would still be a clear depiction of an abusive parent.

5. The Willoughbys. The parents are so awful that the kids literally plot to murder them. The parents abandoned them to freeze to death on top of a mountain. Enough said.

6. Percy fucking Jackson.

Percy Jackson IS a book made for kids that depicts child abuse from a parent - and not only does it depict child abuse, it depicts spousal abuse.

I know Percy doesn't know that Gabe is physically hurting Sally in the beginning of the book. But we as the audience know that Gabe DOES hurt Percy. There is not a single sign in the new show that Percy has anything more than a snarky, annoyed view of Gabe.

Gabe is supposed to be smelly and disgusting, a drunk (which, even if they can't depict that in a Disney show, you can still play around with his grossness), a slob, and a gambler. He's barely even greasy in the show. Literally they could have just had him belch a few times or eat messily and it would have given off a better impression of his character. Instead, he just quips back and forth with Percy and then later is just...whining. He's whiney. He does not ring as a man who abuses his family, emotionally OR physically, he rings as a pathetic step-dad figure who can't support himself (which is ALSO not canon, because in the book he runs an auto store! His abuse towards Sally is not for lack of money, it's just because he's a dick!!!) The fact that I think that Doof's parents in Phineas and Ferb are more overtly abusive than him on screen is actually absurd.

And Sally fell flat. Her character in the book doesn't yell literally ever - not once in the whole series can I recall her legitimately yelling at someone. Her persona is kind and gentle in the books and as for wits, she's clever, and sneaky, and cunning. She fights back with Gabe in ways that we as the audience can see, but Gabe misses because he's so dense.

Take the bean dip scene.

In the show, she basically is like "Yeah yeah I'll make the bean dip, shut up" and Gabe just whines about the sour cream while they yell at each other.

In the book? That's her bargaining chip to take the car for the weekend. That's her ticket out of the house. Bribery. Not just placating a whining husband - she bribes him in the books.

And her yelling back? Just feels so unnatural to Sally Jackson as a whole. I saw someone say she feels like Disney girl-bossed her, and they're right. She doesn't feel like Sally Jackson. She feels like just another cut and paste Disney woman who's snappy and doesn't take shit.

And to be clear - the OG Sally Jackson also didn't take shit. She was just so much more clever about it, in a way that made sure Percy never saw her actively yell. She doesn't have to be snarky and rude to get her way. Percy knows she's fighting back without physically fighting, and that's what makes her so strong. Sometimes you have to fight more with your wits and cleverness than you do with screaming and fists

(Gee...wonder what other character Percy ends up really admiring that also holds that philosophy in life?)

Anyway...all that said, stop blaming the fact that it's a children's show on Gabe's watered down personality. Children's shows/movies and family shows/movies have been depicting serious parental abuse and neglect for decades, in both realistic and more humorous ways that don't take away from the neglect. Kids can handle it, because there are kids going through it.

To say that "It's a kids show, kids shouldn't have to see that," is a disservice to the kids who need to see that, so they know that they can get away too, and they don't have to get physical to do it.

Also, this version of Gabe? Doesn't deserve to die. He's just annoying, not an asshole that scares Percy more than literal monsters do.

#pjo #percy jackson #pjo series #gabe ugliano #sally jackson #disney #yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me

[panandinpain0]

Can Hermione x fem!reader (or any you’re comfortable with) exist where the reader’s a slytherin but actively a good person-

like she’s a pureblooded snake but like, the cute ones with big eyes and that smile at you

like she’s a super competitive quidditch captain, and has slytherin friends, but she also shows the nervous ravenclaw first years around and has study groups with her hufflepuff friends and eats at the gryffindor table sometimes??

ok bye I just think it could be cute

Study Group

OH MY GOD YES- YES OH MY GOD YES

My favorite kind of character to write for deadass.

@@@

Requested by: Anon

Hermione Granger x Fem!Slytherin!Reader

Literally Reader ^^^

---

“Slytherin wins!” the announcer shouts over the sounds coming from the stands on the quidditch field. A mixture of "boo"'s and cheering were heard, a conflict seemingly starting out in the Gryffindor stands.

(Y/N), a chaser and Slytherins quidditch team captain, flew over to her seeker, holding up the arm that held the snitch and cheering with everyone. Patting the seeker’s shoulder, (Y/N) smiled and congratulated him.

The team flew back to the ground, heading to the showers before being intercepted by the crowd.

“You fly better than Angelina!” Fred shouted, his arm going over the captain’s shoulder.

“Don’t let her hear you saying that,” George warned, arm going around (Y/N)’s other shoulder. 

The Weasleys were a family friend of the (L/N)’s so they'd grown up together like siblings. When they started at Hogwarts and (Y/N) was sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor they were disappointed, but got over it pretty soon after. Well, it took Ron a bit longer, but he got there. To make up for it, (Y/N) would sit at the Gryffindor table at dinner sometimes.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and ducked out of their hold, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“Thanks boys, we worked hard,” (Y/N) replied, patting George’s arm before going to walk away again.

She was startled when Ron was suddenly in her face, Harry and Hermione behind him.

“Bloody Hell, (Y/N)!” Ron shouted, grabbing her upper arms and shaking her around. “That catch, and the pass- and when you-!” He continued to stutter out incoherent praises.

“You did great out there,” Hermione congratulated for him as Harry tried to calm him down.

(Y/N) replied with a laugh, “Thanks Hermione. I’m really proud of my team, they really gave it their all. You should’ve seen how hard I’ve been working them, I’m surprised they don’t hate me.” She smiled jokingly at Hermione.

“No one could hate you,” Hermione responded seriously to the joke. (Y/N) seemed to soften at that, her exhaustion beginning to show.

“Thanks, ‘Mione.” She patted her shoulder.

(Y/N) would have hugged her but she didn’t want to get Hermione dirty.

“Mind helping me escape?” (Y/N) laughed, gesturing to the crowd surrounding them. Hermione laughed and nodded, grabbing (Y/N)’s hand and pulling her away.

When they got to the Quidditch showers, Hermione let go.

“Do you think we’re safe now?” (Y/N) whispered conspiratorially, a laugh lilting the end of her sentence. She tried to stop herself from reaching out for Hermione’s hand.

“I think we are,” Hermione laughed back. The Gryffindor herself was missing the warmth. 

There’d always been tension between them. When they’d first met Hermione was intimidated by (Y/N), seeing as she was in the year above her, and also a Slytherin. Hermione never had much luck with Slytherins.

Not to mention she was gorgeous, and it’s terrifying talking to beautiful people. (Y/N) had always sensed Hermione’s discomfort and was always trying to make ‘Mione feel comfortable. They’d grown closer over these past 5 years, but the tension was different than before.

“Well, I’d better shower before dinner,” (Y/N) lazily pointed behind herself to the door.

“Want me to save you a spot at the Gryffindor table? You know Wood will want to talk to you about Ravenclaw’s defeat.” Hermione really wanted her to say yes. They hardly spent enough time together as it is, and even if she doesn’t have a chance with (Y/N) she still enjoys her company.

“For sure, Granger. Make sure it’s next to you, yeah?” (Y/N) winked with a mischievous smirk. (Y/N) would often playfully flirt with Hermione to see her reaction, heat spreading up her neck and around her face.

And that’s exactly the reaction she got, Hermione’s gaze shy as she looked to her feet. She nodded and bit her lip, watching (Y/N) walk through the doorway.

At Dinner…

All of the Gryffindor’s were shouting over each other, the twins practically on the table as they argued with Oliver, their own captain. They’d already talked about the game, Wood practically interrogating the game plans they used from (Y/N). Now he was red in the face, scoffing at the twins.

(Y/N) and Hermione were on the sidelines, having a conversation about her study group. Ron and Harry would pop in every once in a while, but were also having a conversation about what Draco was up to this week.

“Lila, she’s from Hufflepuff- a third year- was having some trouble with Care of Magical Creatures. Something about nifflers? I don’t know, that girl is so quiet I have to have Becca translate for me.” (Y/N) shook her head sympathetically.

“Poor thing,” Hermione agreed, putting down her cup after having a sip. “Maybe I could come to the next one? It could be nice to have another person to help.”

“Sure, we’re meeting tomorrow in the library after lunch. Have you got a free period then?” (Y/N) asked, taking a bite of the food in front of her. Hermione hummed in confirmation, not trusting her voice.

She was so excited. Maybe she could start going to all of their study groups! She smiled to herself as she continued eating.

The Next Day…

Lunch was ending and Hermione stood up excitedly, practically buzzing.

“Someone’s excited,” Harry teased in a sing-song voice.

“It’s because she’s off to see her girlfriend~!” Fred and George replied.

“Oh, ‘Mione’s got a girlfriend now? Looks like I’ve got competition,” (Y/N) announced her presence, smiling at Hermione. She blushed at the quip and smiled back.

“Ignore them, they’re idiots.” Hermione shot the boys a glare.

“Trust me, I know. Shall we?” (Y/N) held up her arm, beckoning Hermione to wrap her arm around hers. Once she did they were off, leaving the boys behind.

When they got out into the corridor (Y/N) didn’t pull away like Hermione expected. They made small talk, (Y/N) waving to her friends when they passed. Hermione slowly trailed off her sentence when (Y/N) stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked, looking around herself to assure they weren’t at their destination yet.

“Look.” (Y/N) pointed at a Ravenclaw, seemingly a first year. He was crying, sitting against the wall and shielding his face as his body shook. (Y/N) unhooked her arm from Hermione's and walked up to him, crouching down to his level.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” (Y/N) asked gently, but still frightened the first year. He flinched, uncovering his face to look at (Y/N). He seemed confused after he saw the color of her robes. Why would a Slytherin be nice to him?

He sniffled, “My classroom changed places and I can’t find it. I just got its new location memorized and then it moves! I’m gonna be late for Transfiguration and lose house points again.” He groaned in frustration, hands covering his face. (Y/N) gently took his hands and held them, giving him a comforting smile.

“Professor McGonagall can be very forgiving, as long as you tell her what happened. I’m (Y/N) (L/N), what's your name?”

“Conner,” he muttered through his tears. “Conner Wimble.”

“Well, Conner, I’ll walk you to Transfiguration. And teach you some tricks to find your classes. Is that okay?”

“Yes… thank you.”

Hermione shook herself from her thoughts, seeing (Y/N) being so kind to the first year did nothing to stifle her feelings. She rushed forward to join the conversation, crouching down as well.

“I know a spell that makes a string appear in the air that guides you to your classes. I could teach it to you,” she spoke gently to the Ravenclaw, bringing him to stand.

“Please, I need all the help I can get,” he sniffled out.

“Come on, let’s stand up now.” (Y/N), who still held his hands, pulled him to stand.

At the Library…

(Y/N) held open the door for Hermione, entering after her. She waved to Madam Pince before gently cupping Hermione’s elbow, guiding her to the study group.

“Look who decided to show up,” Becca giggled, a yellow ribbon holding her dark brown hair back.

“Yeah, sorry guys- got a bit distracted.” Her hand found the small of Hermione’s back. “This is Hermione-!” (Y/N) whispered before she was cut off.

“Everybody knows who she is. Harry Potter’s friend, right?” Suzie, a fourth year Ravenclaw, asked rhetorically. Her tone was a bit harsh, distaste following Harry’s name.

“Yes, but she has a name. Hermione will be joining us today, if that’s alright with everyone?” (Y/N) eyed Suzie with a warning gaze. After she got head nods from around the table she pulled out Hermione’s chair for her. Hermione blushed and gave (Y/N) a shy smile in thanks, earning a nod in return.

“So, how is everybody? Lila, how was Care of Magical Creatures today?” (Y/N) paid specific attention to the Hufflepuff as she pulled out her books. Lila murmured something nobody could hear, except for her best friend who sat right next to her.

“She said the niffler problem’s still got her stumped,” Becca repeated, going back to doodling on the corner of her parchment with her quill.

“We would have heard her if she would only speak up,” Suzie sassed as she rolled her eyes, playing with the end of her blond ponytail.

“Suzie!” (Y/N) scolded, looking concerned more than angry. “Please apologize.” She adopted a motherly look, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Suzie looked slightly ashamed, gaze lowering as she uncrossed her arms. She played with the edge of her blue sweater, the silver eagle on the sleeve catching the light. “Sorry Lila, that was mean.”

“It’s okay. You have a point,” Lila spoke a bit louder this time, giving Suzie a small smile.

“What’s going on?” (Y/N) gently asked Suzie, running a hand up and down her arm. Hermione watched with a bit of envy, but shook herself out of it when she realized her thoughts.

Suzie’s lip started trembling, her eyes blinking quickly to rid herself of the gathering tears. “David and I got into a fight. He’s been using one of the secrets I trusted him with against me in our arguments. It’s been going on all day.” She sniffled, sliding a bit of her sweater over her hand to wipe at her nose.

Lila, who was closest to her, put her hand on Suzie’s shoulder, rubbing it gently. Everyone sympathized and started helping her come up with solutions, and afterwards the studying quickly commenced.

One Hour Later…

Becca giggled at a joke (Y/N) whispered to her as they left the library, Lila smiling a bit. Hermione and Suzie were finishing a conversation while actively shoving books into their bags, trying to avoid the door swinging into them. Hermione almost got hit but (Y/N)’s hand stopped it, both of them looking surprised.

“Watch out there love, almost got hit.”

Hermione blushed at the pet name.

Suzie looked between the two of them for a second, sitting in their tension-filled silence.

Clearing her throat loudly, Suzie caught the girls’ attention, “I’m going to go talk to David now, I’ll see you two later?” Without waiting for an answer she walked off, waving behind her. She shouted goodbye to the two Hufflepuff’s and was gone.

“We’d best be off too. (Y/N), would you be a dear and ask Fred and George for more sugar quills? Lila and I have been craving them,” Becca laughed, joining hands with Lila.

“For sure! I’ll let you know what they say. Same time next week?” They nodded. “Make sure Suzie knows that too, please.” And they were off.

Hermione and (Y/N) looked at each other, still standing in front of the library. Taking in a breath, (Y/N) broke the silence.

“Would you like to come again next week? Suzie seemed to like having you around,” (Y/N) laughed a bit, smiling at the Gryffindor in front of her.

“Yes, I’m sure it was just Suzie,” Hermione giggled and nodded, not able to look away from (Y/N). Said Slytherin scoffed in surprise at the comment, her face heating up as she laughed in amusement.

“I’m glad we’re in agreement on that then.”

They smiled at each other for a bit longer, not wanting to part.

“Well, I think this makes you an official part of our group. What do you say?” (Y/N) stuck out her hand. “Want to join our study group?”

Hermione met her half way, shaking her hand.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to disappoint Suzie, now would we?”

End

---

Ta-da! Sorry it took so long, Anon! But I'm pretty proud of this final product. (I actually think it sucks a lot but maybe you'll like it. I hope you do.)

-Author Max <3

#fanfiction #x reader #fluff #fandoms #harry potter #x she/her reader #x female reader #x female!reader #x fem!reader #x fem reader #hermione granger #hermione x reader #hermione x fem!reader

[goldenromione]

My Opinions on Harry Potter Ships (controversial but not for shock value)

I have tagged the ships that I talk negatively about under anti, so check the tags before you read this. Keep in mind there are a few here that I feel iffy on but did not tag as anti.

(Shrug means I prefer them sometimes or specifically in one medium over another (book vs. movie), check means I love them in every version, X means not at all)

Golden Era

Drarry: 🤷‍♀️ The appeal comes and goes; the further from canon it gets, the more I like it, but in a canon compliant universe I don't. Still, they were immensely important to each other growth wise, and I enjoy seeing the different interpretations of that.

Romione: ✅ One of the all-time greats. Sure, the books are kinder to their relationship, but the movies aren't completely lacking in the way some people would like to believe (newsflash: it's not just Ron's character that was butchered in the movies).

Dramione: ❌ I wouldn't be exaggerating when I say that finding out someone ships Dramione makes me lose respect for them. If you understand Hermione at all, and not the self-insert version of her that the fandom has created, you'd know that she would never.

Linny: ✅ I enjoy them, but specifically the book version of them that features Ginny as Luna's weirdness translator and Luna as the cryptid hanging out at all the Gryffindor parties under Ginny's arm. Platonic or romantic, they are a great match.

Deamus: ✅ Love, love, love. The fact that they are one of the few characters that don't have a confirmed marriage by the end of the series just adds to the delusion that they ran off together. Hard to find any content of them that I don't like.

Hinny: 🤷‍♀️ Harry finding happiness and a family after everything he was forced to go through is all that matters to me, so I never want to rain on his parade but, again, their relationship is so much better in the books. Ginny, specifically, is better in the books, but I digress.

Marauders

Jily: ✅ I hate seeing them shipped with anyone else. Their love literally saved their child. They're written in the stars: stag and doe. They were in each other's lives longer than they weren't. Plus, you know who else tried to separate Jily? Voldemort.

Wolfstar: 🤷‍♀️ I started out as a decent fan, but my appreciation has slowly fizzled out. Their dynamic is more interesting when you see them for how they really are: the last of their group. They aren't the ones they wanted, but the ones they got.

Jegulus: ❌ I have little else to say about it other than that I miss when it wasn't being shoved down my throat and washed down with Lily-slander.

#anti jegulus #anti dramione #drarry #romione #linny #hinny #deamus #jily #wolfstar #harry potter #draco malfoy #ron weasley #hermione granger #lily evans #james potter #luna lovegood #ginny weasley #regulus black #sirius black #remus lupin #hp #jk rowling #marauders era #golden era

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Hey friends. I always promised that I would write a disclaimer if I ever wrote something sad. So here is that disclaimer: this is sad. Harry is also experiencing some internalized “ace-phobia”, if you will. Just really struggling to believe that being ace is ever enough in a relationship with someone who is not. Yes, the author is hardcore projecting on the poor character.

“I’m sorry,” Draco said, and it sounded sincere, even Harry could hear the ring of truth to it over the splintering sound of his heart. “I just,” Draco swallowed, looked down at the glass in his hands, “I think living alone would be what’s better for me right now.”

Harry nodded, shoving down the emotions, pushing back the hurt, the yearning, as he forced a smile, “no. For sure,” he said, keeping his voice light, pushing every ounce of happy-for-you-undertone that he could. “Yeah. You have to do what’s best for you,” he agreed, and he meant it, even though it hurt the way that it hurt when you sliced open your foot on a piece of glass; sudden and sharp, terribly painful in its unexpectedness.

“It’s not you,” Draco said, reaching across the table and squeezing Harry’s hand, giving him a smile and Harry wondered what the other man could see on his face. “It’s not that I don’t want to live with you,” he said.

He nodded, “right. I get it.”

“And you can come over all the time, we can have a movie night whenever we want since I won’t have Pansy and Blaise to worry about.”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling. Smiling, smiling, smiling. Please Godric, let it be enough that Draco can’t see past it. “Yeah. That sounds great,” he agreed.

“Dinner once a week,” he promised, “and we can cook together!”

He nodded, plastering the smile even harder to his face, “I’d love that,” he said. Not as much as he would have loved doing the shopping together, and cooking together in their shared space but… best not to think about it.

“I love you too much to live with you,” Draco said, like that made any sense at all.

“Yeah,” he said, pushing down the tears threatening to spill, heart throbbing in his throat. “I love you too,” he said. Not too much, he thought, more than his body could hold sometimes but not so much that he couldn’t live with the other man.

“I’m sorry,” Draco said again.

And Harry wanted to make up a lie, wanted to tell Draco he had another appointment or something, but Draco was his best friend. More than that, Harry had thought. They’d started planning a life together; he’d told Draco everything, given him his entire heart. Draco had said that he wanted Harry forever too. Harry’s worked so hard to actually believe him. But that was probably just the mixed signals that Harry sent, confusing everyone that he loved because he couldn’t love them in the way that they wanted. “Don’t be. I still have Ron and Hermione.”

“You could try living alone too,” Draco offered, and Harry knew it was because of the conversations they’d had, about how hard it could be living with people who were in love. About how alone Harry felt even when he was in the same room as them sometimes.

He knew Draco was trying to offer a good solution, “nah,” he said, aiming for casual and hoping that he hadn’t missed the mark by as much as it felt like he had. “I don’t do well on my own. It’s okay. I’m okay,” he assured.

“Okay,” Draco said, giving him a little smile. “I toured an apartment today.”

“Oh,” he said, “tell me about it!” And he let himself get lost in Draco’s joy, lost in how excited he was for his own adventure.

“And it just feels right, you know?” Draco asked when he finished describing his viewing.

“I’m really glad,” he said, genuinely because he loved Draco. Loved him with his entire heart and wanted what was good for him. But he couldn’t say he understood. He couldn’t. Because all Harry wanted was to be able to come home to Draco at the end of the day. All Harry wanted was someone to sit on the sofa with and eat dinner with. He wanted to be able to take care of Draco, to love him on his hard days and to listen to his stories. Harry wanted a place to come home to where he could just shut off the facade, could just be Harry.

But they didn’t want the same things. That was clearer now than it had ever been. Someday, Draco was going to get married. Someday, he’d fall in love with someone else, someone who could love him the same way, someone whose body wasn’t broken, someone who’d want to have sex with him. Someday, he’d meet someone who could be enough, who would have the capacity to accept the love that Draco felt like was too much for Harry.

And Harry wouldn’t deny him that. He wouldn’t stand in the way. It didn’t matter that Harry loved Draco with everything that he had, with all that he was, in every way that he was capable of loving another human. It wasn’t enough.

It hadn’t ever been before Draco. It had been foolish to believe that could have changed.

How could he have hoped that it might be now? How could he have let himself dream that he might ever be enough for the best person he knew?

He loved Draco more than anything, so he did the only thing that he knew how to do.

He loved him with every beat of his bruised and bloodied heart. Harry set aside his own needs, his own wants, his own desires and loved Draco in the way that he needed and not in the way that Harry wanted. Harry set aside his hopes, and dreams, the plans they’d made together and begged his heart to be happy for the other man.

Be good, he begged himself. Be kind.

Love was sacrifice. How could he have let himself forget?

#drarry #sad #ace harry potter #like seriously. this is v sad. the author is v sad. please don’t read this if you’re looking for a pick me up #just processing the hurt #trying to learn how to love more than I desire to be loved #yes. we are actively dumping our trauma on this poor baby #sad sad sad

[rainbow-femme]

So I was thinking about this the other day but I feel like the Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell is the only piece of magic media I’ve read or watched where I felt we were given a genuine sense of what different magical strength levels look like

So often if I read or watch something with people that do magic there are always conversations about how powerful someone is but when it’s people shooting fireballs at each other or just making something happen, I can’t tell if that’s a big deal or not because all of the characters just do that

People mention it a lot with the Vampire Diaries show where they constantly had The Strongest Witch Ever and then No Wait Actually This Is The Strongest Witch Ever No Wait Actually It’s This One but they all just seemed to yell and fling magic power at stuff and it all comes off as being the same as anything else, I have no gauge for what is normal when everyone is like that

I read part of the ACOTAR series and that was something that bugged me. I know for the books themselves they’re meant to be sexy wish fulfillment but from a world building perspective you can’t introduce everyone as the strongest magical person ever, except for this person who is even stronger, except for this person who is even stronger, without ever actually saying what normal magic does. Like cool most people have one power gem thing and these guys have 10, I don’t know what that means because I don’t know what the other people do. Awesome that this guy can do all those crazy magic things but he’s just standing there and effortlessly making it happen, I have no idea how cool that’s supposed to be because I don’t know what a regular person does

Harry Potter at the beginning did it a bit but it was more in a “the more you say the spell right the better your thing floats” in the first book but from there again it was just sort of stuff was as strong as the plot needed it to be. Hell the entire last book had a macguffin that was the strongest wand ever and I never really could tell what it did better than a normal wand. Like we find out in the third book that a guy blew up an entire neighborhood with magic and he was just a guy, what exactly does the super special ultra wand do that’s so much better?

But with Carry On I felt like it went out of its way to consistently show what different power levels did and looked like. Simon uses a spell to make a crashed car disappear and accidentally makes the whole road disappear, we see what the effect of Baz using his magic on the dragon is and then how it changes when Simon powers him up, we get specific descriptive differences. And again certain characters being stronger than others is important like the other stories but we see people of different levels doing the same thing so when you are told Simon is crazy powerful you understand what they mean because you see what a normal powerful person can do, a normal person, and a less powerful person so you can actually compare and get a sense of what being powerful actually means

#I just really love world building and it bugs me when it’s done poorly #or doesn’t happen at all #and I love when it’s done well #carry on #simon snow

[allwaswell16]

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in February 2024. You can listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 including the fics on this month’s fic roundup which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

Fanfictional Podcast #59 |  ko-fi | fic recs

- Louis/Harry -

🩷 with venom on your tongue by wildestdreams / @thelavendrhaze

(E, 91k, enemies to lovers) a boarding school AU where Harry and Louis are academic rivals until they realize they’re more similar than they thought

🩷 another dream but always you by you_explode / @nobodymoves

(M, 60k, superpowers) Harry is a Dreamwalker; he has the ability to visit people in their dreams and help put them on the right path. He's assigned to Louis, who's struggling after the break-up of his band.

🩷 through walls of trees by @ineverateakiwi

(T, 41k, fantasy) Elesdon is a country divided into five kingdoms and had long been considered peaceful. After a coup in the heart of the country, Lady Sulia ascended to the throne and imprisoned the four courts, stripping them of their powers. With the exception of King Louis Tomlinson, who submitted to her favors.

🩷 Get Out Of My Head (and I'll get out of yours) by Imogenlee / @imogenleewriter

(E, 29k, exes) “You really that desperate, are you?” Despite it being a shitty thing to say, Harry didn’t mind too much, as the bitterness in Louis’ tone sounded like music to Harry’s ears. Harry was winning tonight. “Can’t find anyone new to be interested in you, so you try to hit on Zayn.”

🩷 this love is alive by @stylinsonwritingpalace

(E, 10k, writer Louis) When Louis's favorite fictional character, Harry Styles, comes to life, it's up to him to decide if he should stay.

🩷 Pretty and Preposterous by @brightlyharry

(NR, 5k, neighbors) Harry donates a copy of Pride and Prejudice to his little free library. He never expects what comes next.

🩷 In Jest by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 4k, soulmates) Louis, who smiles at Harry as he reclines in his chair. Louis, whose soulmark is visible thanks to his low-cut top. Louis, Harry’s soulmate, who seems to either be blissfully ignorant of that fact or maliciously ignoring it.

🩷 All This Time (I was Waiting for You) by @ohharold

(E, 4k, vampire/fae) Harry and Louis have always been destined for each other. Some time apart has Harry reminiscent of their first meeting.

🩷 Jealousy Looks Good On You, Baby by cigarettesbeforesex

(M, 4k, pwp) A flirtatious stranger wanted to entice Louis by buying him a drink from the bar. The handsome 29-year-old tavern manager with curly hair, who Louis (often) flirts with, is currently working on shift...Poor Curly, because he's the one that has to deliver the drink to him.

🩷 the "Falling" series by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(T, 4k, exes to lovers) Harry looks like he wants to say something but thinks better of it, and just nods, putting the CD in a box that’s filled with all kinds of knick knacks from their bedroom. Or, no. Louis supposes it is his bedroom now. Or will be, after today.

🩷 spring in your eyes by @nouies

(NR, 3k, fake relationship) “Just Go with It” inspired AU where plastic surgeon Harry pretends to be married to his assistant Louis to avoid unwanted attention.

🩷 Dirty Diana by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(E, 3k, epistolary) In the month leading up to his 30th birthday, Harry writes to his confidante Diana every day, sharing his fantasies about Louis.

🩷 From the Dining Table by @littleroverlouis

(E, 3k, established relationship) Harry's thirtieth birthday hasn't gone as expected. Things start looking up from the dining table.

🩷 You Could Give That Aspirin the Headache of Its Life by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28

(M, 3k, exes) the one where Louis is a football player who gets stuck on a flight with his ex-boyfriend Harry. The universe might be conspiring against him, or is it?

🩷 What’s in a Name by @hellolovers13

(T, 2k, soulmates au) Louis had always known Harry was his soulmate. The name on his arm disagreed. But what did his soulmark know about true love anyway.

🩷 miles away from seeing you by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove

(T, 1k, social media) Harry is in his final year studying marine biology, and is doing an international exchange at the University of Auckland. His boyfriend Louis stays behind in England, but they keep in touch regularly through texts, snapchats, video calls, and more.

- Rare Pairs -

🩷 Can You Feel Where the Wind Is by @fallinglikethis

(M, 3k, Zayn/Liam) He remembers arguing that he had no real power over anything, so no one would care about him, let alone try to hurt him. But that assessment had proven to be untrue today.

🩷 Skin on My Skin by Layne Faire / @laynefaire

(E, 2k, Zayn/Liam) Let me touch you where you like it Let me do it for ya

🩷 Stray by @haztobegood

(E, 1k, Zayn/Harry, Harry/Louis) Finally, Louis catches a glimpse of familiar curls weaving through the crowd. The man’s arm is firm around Harry’s waist until they stop in front of the booth. “I found this stray wandering around. I believe he’s yours.”

#28th appreciation #1dficvillage #trackinghome #trackinghappily #hlcreators #hljournal #hltracks #ficsfor4am #ficrec

[wishcamper]

Don't Worry Feyre, Darling: the relationship anxiety to coersive control pipeline

CW: emotional abuse, reproductive abuse

Creds: licensed counselor with focus in addiction, trauma, and gay stuff; experience in group and family counseling, mandated DV clients, and abuse victim support.

Before the mob comes: I am not pro or anti Rhys, and I think his contradictions say much more about SJM than anything. I also believe it’s possible for a fandom to reclaim/rewrite a character who has been massacred by an author.

We’re going to begin at Rhys helping Feyre during an extremely dark place in both their lives. We’re going to end at him withholding vital medical information from her for the sake of “protecting her”. But first, some context.

Inside all of the (amazing) drama around the 2022 movie Don’t Worry, Darling , was a story that is pretty well worn at this point: men deciding they know what’s best for women and giving it to them whether they like it or not. In the movie, Florence Pugh’s Alice lives inside a computer simulation where she is the modern equivalent of a 50s housewife: dresses, calisthenics, martinis, “making a roast”. (She also gets eaten out by Harry Styles but that doesn’t seem to be an explicit part of the world’s design.) The problem? She doesn’t know she’s in the simulation. Harry Styles, in between all the cunnilingus, drugged her and put her in the program against her will. Yikes! Why!

The movie explains that he believed their life in the real world was miserable, and that he was saving her from that by giving her this perfect life. She should be grateful, if anything! What he doesn’t tell her, but that we see, is that Harry Styles also seems to struggle with a sense of inadequacy for not being able to provide. He is failing to live up to personal and cultural standards of manhood but, instead of dismantling those standards, he makes it his wife’s problem by kidnapping and brainwashing her consciousness. Hm. Interesting strategy. Let’s see how it works out for him.

With Rhysand, his motives in the beginning are more understandable - he initiates rescuing Feyre from the very real danger of Tamlin and her own mental decline. He feels justified breaking whatever magic law because of his own experiences being trapped and believing people should have a choice about where they go and who they are. He emphasizes over and over that these choices are Feyre’s and that she has freedom with him. We see through ACOMAF that helping her gives him a sense of purpose after the trauma UTM. His friends remark on how Feyre brought him back to life, never questioning and even encouraging this pattern.

But Rhys clearly has a lot of anxiety about his relationships and closeness in general. He mentions on several occasions that people around him tend to suffer because of him, and how afraid he is of doing that to Feyre. She is very receptive to this and puts effort into proving him wrong. He finds safety in the bubble of their relationship that probably feels pretty fucking good. The unfortunate side effect of this is that instead of processing and resolving his own anxiety, he directs it through Feyre and his love for her. Meanwhile, he keeps his anxious maneuvers behind the scenes, like not telling her about the bond, taking her to the Weaver, encouraging her to learn to read, to train. It may be genuinely helping her, but there’s also this sense of ‘I know what you need better than you do’. And again, nobody questions this.

We flirt with this tension at the beginning of ACOMAF when Rhys enforces their bargain from UTM. As the reader, at that point, we are supposed to believe this is cruel of him. He interrupts her wedding for fucks sake, throw your shoe at him girl! But over time we start to feel like it’s okay because Feyre secretly wanted it, it’s ultimately for her own good. Rhys is the most powerful High Lord in history, I’m sure he could’ve figured out a way to break the bargain, but he didn’t. In fact he engineered a situation where she'd be at his mercy. Why? Because Rhys was worried about Feyre, felt her deteriorating through the bond. Because of that, he felt justified in coming to collect. Personally, I have no opinion about whether crashing the wedding was the right or wrong thing to do. But it does set up, at least in the world of the book, that removing someone’s autonomy is okay if it’s for their own good, if the ends justify the means. In fact, that overstep ends up being the road to Feyre’s life in the NC and her love with Rhysand, a love that is so great she willingly tethers her very life to it. Even in ACOWAR we see how their relationship is a way he regulates his anxiety *cough*battlefield blowjob*cough*. He gets used to Feyre’s health and happiness being his source comfort and can continue to avoid dealing with his own shit internally.

In his seminal work Why Does He Do That?, Lundy Bancroft, a specialist in treatment of abuse perpetrators, debunks the various myths about what causes abuse and why it happens. His thesis is disarmingly simple: people abuse because they believe it’s justified. He says one of the signs of abuse escalation is “a growing attitude that he knows what is good for her better than she does”. Bancroft also notes that abuse is so hard to spot because “most abusive men don’t seem like abusers” (emphasis his) and that abusive men have periods of being charming, funny, even kind. Abusive men often don’t see themselves as such, because the strategy works for them - they feel good when they displace their emotional problems onto someone else.(1)

And then Feyre gets pregnant with a baby that could kill her. Besides the fact they really should have talked about this before trying for a baby given Rhys is mixed race (Cassian and Nesta too, but that’s a whole other post), Rhys claims a sense of ownership over his wife and child almost immediately. He’s constantly being described as smug and glowing with male pride. Even when he’s not smarmy, he’s consumed with his own ideas about protecting them and can’t hear the protests of others. We see his anxiety morph into more overt control in attempt to handle the situation. He believes he’s justified in keeping the danger from Feyre because he doesn’t want to stress her out. But that is not about Feyre, that’s about Rhys. HE is scared, HE is lost, and so he makes a decision on her behalf to lessen the burden he’s already carrying, whether he’s aware of it or not. He must keep her in a happy bubble else how is he supposed to go on.

Don’t Worry, Darling is at least critical of this ‘I know better’ motive even if the movie is stupid, and Harry Styles gets some frontier justice in the form of a whiskey glass to the back of the dome. But ACOSF condones Rhys’ actions and even insinuates our main character is deserving of death for calling him out. Bancroft writes that “part of how the abuser escapes confronting himself is by convincing you that you are the cause of his behavior”. He wouldn’t HAVE to do this if you just TRUSTED HIM.

But here’s what I think. I think Rhys has walked down a path of using his relationship to balance his internal conflict. Anxiety is a force in every relationship, but with Feyre he must maintain her beautiful life where she never worries in order to feel safe himself. I can have empathy for this, kind of - he’s suffered significant losses and it’s understandable he feels protective of those he loves. I think about celebrities with non-famous spouses, and how they avoid talking about them because they don’t want the scrutiny. I believe Rhys thinks he’s genuinely doing right by Feyre. But Rhys is so averse to his own anxiety that he can’t let himself trust anyone else to resolve it. He can’t let go of Feyre as his safe space and almost condemns her to die because of it.

And this is how, ultimately, Rhys traps himself. He tries to create a bubble where Feyre can never leave him, and ends up signing both their death warrants. I hope the world of fan fiction can redeem him, because I really don’t think Sarah can.

And yes, I know it’s faerie porn and it’s not that deep. But this is a series marketed toward an audience at risk of abuse and intimate partner violence. Bancroft lays out key points at the end of the book that feel particularly relevant to the larger conversation:

“Once we tear the cover of excuses, distortions, and manipulations off abusers, they suddenly find abuse much harder to get away with.

If Mothers Against Drunk Driving can change culture’s indifference to alcohol-related automotive deaths, we can change culture’s attitude toward partner abuse.

Everyone has a role to play in ending abuse.

If you are trying to assist an abused woman, get help and support yourself as well

All forms of chronic mistreatment in the world are interwoven. When we take one apart, all the rest start to unravel as well.”

Why Does He Do That? , Lundy Bancroft. https://ia800108.us.archive.org/30/items/LundyWhyDoesHeDoThat/Lundy_Why-does-he-do-that.pdf

#acotar #acomaf #acosf #rhys critical #feysand is dysfunctional #don't kill me #intimate partner violence #why does he do that? #prythian university #sjm critical